Waiting for You
by Chaotic Tai
Summary: Naruto's denseness is causing real problems, can he notice Hinata before something truly bad happens?
1. Chapter 1

Tai: Well, I know I shouldn't be starting new stories, but I really wanted to write at least one story where Kiba was actually straight. It jumps around a bit for a start off, but it's just kind of a recap of what's already happened. Anyway, I had an idea for a pairing in this one, not KibaNeji, but something else, and I've decided I might change my mind. Anyway, you'll find out what the title means once you get into the story, and hopefully I can at least start the next chapter today. I'm sure it's easy enough to understand, if not say so.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

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Wet. Windy. Cold.

Freezing waters, biting winds. So very cold.

"Who's bright idea was it not to bring jackets?" a tan male snarled over the wind, his gruff voice barely cutting through it. "I wouldn't have minded carrying extra if it meant avoiding this."

"No one could foresee this." A heavily clothed male sighed, "We can get shelter in that tree, it'll be tight, but we should all fit." Letting out a low growl, the Inuzuka none the less agreed, glancing back at their slender teammate. Walking into a headwind was difficult for anyone, even a strong Kunoichi. 'If this wind gets any stronger before she gets to the tree we'll be in trouble.' He thought with a growl.

In an instant, he darted back to Hinata and threw her over his shoulder, easily bolting into the shelter of the tree with the girl. Settling her at the back of the tree-cave, he dashed back into the rain, shaking his head quickly. Those few moments seemed like an eternity, an eternity the Inuzuka male couldn't have. Shino set his pack down and passed Hinata the blankets before turning his gaze to the distressed Inuzuka.

Family heritage wasn't the issue, friendship was.

He and Hinata were friends, and she loved Naruto. Her crush on him from the Academy hadn't faded in the least, it was still strong, and evident to everyone but said blond. Hinata was willing to wait for him to acknowledge her, and Kiba was waiting too.

Yes, everyone said Naruto was blind, that Hinata should go for someone else, but no one said a word about Hinata. They all knew, and they said nothing. Kiba had asked them to stay quiet about it, and they had. It was a fairly big secret that only a small few knew.

Kiba_ loved_ Hinata, and she didn't know it.

Shino had noticed first, being their teammate it was hard to miss, even for the self-secluding male. Small things the dog-boy would do for the Hyuuga heiress that seemed so innocent, and to Hinata that's what they were, but innocent things can only last so long.

Neji noticed next, with the two males arriving at the Hyuuga compound to collect Hinata, he noticed that the Inuzuka seemed more excited to see her each time and interrogated Shino on it. The Aburame denied nothing, and asked that Neji remain quiet. The Hyuuga prodigy agreed and said nothing to Hinata, nor anyone else.

After several very close training sessions in which Kiba managed to pin the Hyuuga, Shino noticed a slight change in his canine-like friend. Nothing had been said about his affection towards Hinata, but he began to back off slightly, the more obvious signs being dropped. Curious, Shino questioned Kiba, who simply stated that Hinata loved Naruto, and he wanted her to be happy. Even if that meant she was with said blonde.

He also informed the Aburame that he wasn't stupid, and thanked him for asking Neji not to say anything. No other hints of affection were noticeable for a while, until a small party. Team 8 arrived together, and remained together for a while. Kiba got Hinata a drink and one for himself, while Shino moved away slightly, remaining within earshot.

The Inuzuka started a casual conversation, enjoying the…kind-of alone time they were having and their conversation…until Naruto showed up. By that point, everyone else had already arrived and saw the talking teammates as nothing out of the ordinary, well, all bar Neji. He smiled lightly and kept within earshot, knowing that if a fight broke out between Naruto and Kiba, it'd need to be stopped swiftly. He and Shino would be more than enough for that.

Hinata was mid-sentence when the hyperactive blond arrived, loudly gaining the attention of everyone. The Hyuuga heiress was immediately distracted, turning her lilac eyes on the blond with a blush, while Kiba's golden ones glared daggers. Thankfully it was loud enough for the Inuzuka to let out a growl unnoticed, although his sudden movement outside did not.

Two pairs of eyes had been watching the Inuzuka, and made their assumption on his behaviour, both following the tan boy, Aburame and Hyuuga prodigy out the door silently. A glassy green pair and a dark black pair connected as they hid in the same spot, attempting to spy and listen in on the conversation between the three males.

Nothing was said for several seconds, until Kiba looked directly at their hiding place. "Shikamaru, Sakura, you can't hide from me, or Neji, get down here." The noise was more of a barked order than a request, and the golden slit-like eyes dared them to disobey. They didn't, jumping into the yard easily, leaving the noise of the party behind.

"She's still interested in him, huh?" Shikamaru asked, looking at the group. Everyone knew why they were there, it didn't need to be said. "I'd prefer if you didn't say anything." Kiba snarled, fixing his eyes on the new duo. "Hinata's not blind, she just…."

"She sees what she wants to see." Neji finished. "She wants Naruto, so she sees only his affections. Unfortunately, that means no one else will do." The pink haired girl frowned at the Inuzuka male, "So what, you're just going to wait and hope she grows out of her affections towards Naruto?"

"No. I'm going to wait until I have no chance. I'm part dog, Sakura. Inuzuka's will try until the very last chance for what they want. Even if the human part of us knows it's no use at all." He stated, "I love her, I want her to be happy, and if Naruto makes her happy, then I have to deal with it. She's not going to grown out of her feelings towards him, that's clear enough."

"That bad huh?" Shikamaru questioned. "Any other way you can move on? Another bird?" Kiba shook his head, "I wish. My mother explained it, unless she's completely unavailable to me, my feelings won't change. I have to wait for her to find some, die...or die myself. With who she's going after, it's more likely one of us will die before he notices."

"So it's a waiting game. What will happen if nothing changes?" Sakura ventured, making both Team 8 males drop their heads. "If nothing changes for her, my feelings will get stronger, and our team will have to split up."

"But you guys can't split up, you work so well together. Tell them, Shikamaru." The girl stated frantically, looking at the males. They all seemed to agree silently that splitting up the team was the only possible course of action. "Sakura." Neji started coldly, "They may work well as a team, but what would happen if she found out about his feelings? Missions would become awkward and team work more difficult. One way or another, the team would split."

"Hopefully Naruto realises soon." Shino stated, making Kiba sigh. "Not likely, you'd have to paint a picture and sign in big red letters for him to even think about it. It is Naruto, after all."

"Well, if I told Ino we could play match-maker and try get them together quickly." The pink haired girl suggested, all eyes turning once again to Kiba. "You can try it, I have a plan of my own if things don't change within the next two years. For now though, I'm going to train. Later."

With that comment, Kiba jumped the fence and whistled loudly, his large canine appearing at his side in an instant. Without a second thought, Neji followed, catching the Inuzuka and Akamaru before they headed into the forest. "Kiba, your age…aren't you running out of time by Inuzuka terms?" Looking directly into the light purple eyes, he nodded slightly. "By normal terms, I still have plenty of time. Inuzuka terms…I'm nearly 21, I should have a mate already."

Nodding, Neji went to return to the party. "If you think there's something I can do to help, tell me. " Hyuuga and Inuzuka parted ways soon after, none of the Chuunin to Jounin group seeing him for the rest of the day.

Chouji, Ino, Tenten and Lee however were curious as to what the 'impromptu meeting' was about, and why the hyperactive Inuzuka had disappeared. It was easy enough to come up with why Kiba had left – sensitive ears and loud music didn't mix. However, they were unable to think of a lie for why they'd all followed him outside.

Shino's lie was easy, said Inuzuka seemed annoyed and went out to see what the problem was. Neji outright lied and said Hinata asked him to see why Kiba had left, making the lie convincing by the fact he'd gone and talked to Hinata directly after re-entering the room.

Sakura simply said her curiosity got the better of her, which wasn't difficult to believe. Shikamaru just shrugged and said he joined them just because he could. None of the four were truly convinced by the given answers, but with no other explanation nor known reason for the group to lie, they were believed.

The following day, Kiba allowed Neji and Shikamaru to inform their teams, on the proviso that they understood if it got around, Kiba himself would literally kill them. The threat was understood, so all but the most important of the group knew, and all waited for Naruto.

After four months of knowing and no change in blindness from Naruto, Sakura, Ino and Tenten (surprisingly) decided that enough was enough. Kiba's birthday was in two months and he deserved to be happy at least then. The Kunoichi trio planned what they'd do to get the hyperactive blond and Hyuuga heiress together. The plan was fairly simple: Lead Hinata into a closet, throw Naruto in with her and lock them in for 12 hours. They put their plan into action swiftly, but after two hours of the closet, Naruto destroyed one of the walls and escaped, leaving a passed out Hinata behind.

All three let out a groan, maybe Naruto really was THAT stupid.

Kiba's 21st birthday came and went, and everyone who attended the Inuzuka's birthday found it difficult to ignore the concerned looks his clan were giving him. Of all the guests, only Neji and Shino understood why they were concerned, but none questioned. That would be prying into the male's life and family, something they didn't do…usually.

Since his birthday, things hadn't gotten any better. Naruto was still completely oblivious to the fact that Hinata loved him, and Hinata was oblivious to the fact that Kiba loved her. The rest of the group did notice increasingly though, Kiba's actions becoming slightly more noticeable for all…apart from Naruto and the desired female.

Four months on, and they were returning from a mission, caught in the rain without coats while blistering cold winds slashed at them. Shino's gaze was still fixed on the Inuzuka, still out in the rain several metres away from Hinata. Akamaru had moved into the shelter of the tree, but Kiba knew getting that close to Hinata would be…uncomfortable.

Glancing briefly at Shino, he darted upwards into the trees, well above the shelter provided by the tree, and moved on ahead, looking for shelter alone. He could survive on his own, and Akamaru could help Shino and Hinata if need be. Kiba shivered slightly – The Inuzuka jounin wasn't immune to the cold, especially not when wet.

Within minutes, he spotted another opening in a tree and easily moved inside, his movements easy without a bag on his back. He'd been carrying most of the supplies and so dropped them when he'd moved Hinata into their shelter.

Slipping off his soaked clothing, Kiba curled up to sleep, well protected from the rain, and his feelings.

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Tai: Well, review and tell me any pairing ideas you have for it. No guys though, when I mean mate in this story, I mean a girl, not a guy that has to go under some strange change to have kids...


	2. Chapter 2

Tai: Well, I finally got around to updating this. I'm not sure if anyone's actually reading it, but I've updated it and my mind is...not at rest. Just a little less distracted by things. In any case, I had to make a minor change to the first chapter for the rest of the story to work properly, but it's not a big thing. Since it's so minor, if you're already reading this I have no reason for you to have to read the first chapter again. Anyway, I just changed it so it's no longer required that Hinata be married for her to be unavailable to Kiba. Anyway, if Kiba's your favourite character then I'll apologise now...

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto.

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By the time the Inuzuka opened his golden eyes in the morning, his clothes had begun to dry and the sun was warming his body. Blearily opening his eyes, the young male looked around for his team and large white canine, his mind well behind where his body was. 'Right, I left Akamaru back with Shino and Hinata, to keep them safe.' Sitting up, he let out a sigh and quickly pulled his clothes on, emerging from the tree. Sniffing the air, he could tell the sun hadn't been up for long, but his sensitive nose picked up another scent – fire.

Closing his eyes again, he focused on the smoky scent, narrowing his senses to the location before darting off to investigate. It was coming from behind him, further back than his team, leaving enough time to call Akamaru on his way past. Darting swiftly across the tree tops, he soon enough passed the others and gave a long whistle, the large white dog appearing from the tree's opening to look for his partner. Seeing the hurry in Kiba's movement, he soon enough ran off across the ground beneath the boy, his own nose picking up the scent.

The closer they got, the stronger the smell of burning wood became, nearing the source of the smell. Another scent soon met his nose, something...unusual that was well different from the scent of the fire. Akamaru must've caught it also, and both males slowed, stopping to sniff the air some more. "There must be someone near the source keeping an eye on it." the Inuzuka muttered, although his caution didn't falter. "We'll check it out anyway, just to make sure everything is all right."

His curiosity was piqued, and he had no idea why. Obviously his canine companion had the same curiosity dwelling inside, as they both proceeded at a slower rate towards the source. Just ahead a clearing was visible, where a young woman and a large black canine were crouched around a small fire. On the side closest to the two males, a set of clothes were laid out, clearly soaked with water. The other canine slowly rose to its feet, snarling at the bushes were Kiba and Akamaru stood.

The brunette female made no movement to even look at them, and the Inuzuka frowned slightly, before noticing why. The amount of skin visible was unusual, and it finally clicked in the boys mind that the clothes drying by the fire were likely to be the only ones the young woman had. Her long hair was providing most of the cover her body had. Moving from her current position would make her...probably more vulnerable than she'd like. The black canine was still advancing on them, and Akamaru had already taken his own defensive stance against the other.

Making his own decision, the Inuzuka removed his jacket, holding it out towards the darker dog, who sniffed it cautiously. The large canine paused for several moments, and none of the four moved until the darker animal grabbed the jacket and took it back to the girl, who slipped it on quickly. The Inuzuka blinked, frowning at the duo. Not a sound had passed between any of them, other than the two canines growling at one another, yet without glancing at the boy she'd had the wolf bring over the jacket and pulled it on.

"How did...?" "None of your business. But thanks for the jacket." she stated, turning to look at the tan male. "You two don't look like you've eaten. You're welcome to join us." The dark dog next to her made no more threatening moves towards the duo, allowing them to approach the fire. The girls dark amber eyes flickered over the protector resting against the Inuzuka's forehead. She made no mention of it, but carefully stood, the black jacket closed and managing to cover her upper body fairly well.

Cautiously, the tanned male sat down next to the fire, enjoying the warmth it radiated after he'd handed his jacket over to the young woman. She returned with a plastic bag, containing what looked like half a packet of sausages, and about the same amount of bacon. She removed a few pieces of meat, feeding it to the large canine. She removed a couple of long metal need from their place between rocks around the fire, skewering several pieces and replacing them in the warmth to cook. Having a quick look at the bag, she removed another sausage and tossed it to the darker dog, before tipping the remnants in front of Akamaru.

The white dog sniffed the meat cautiously, distrusting of the meat. Although, as he watched the other happily devour it, his better sense told him it was unlikely to be poisoned. As the meat crackled away in the fire, the Inuzuka watched her closely. He didn't get an uneasy feeling being around her, more one of familiarity but no clue as to why. The silence becoming slightly awkward, he finally asked the one question that had been on his mind.

"IF you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" he questioned, her eyes locking on to his for a moment. 'Something about her eyes...' the male thought, waiting for her reply, 'There's just something very familiar about them.' "Yuri." she stated after several moments, obviously debating whether or not he was a threat to her safety. "And that would be Kuroi." she stated, nodding towards the dark animal.

"I'm Kiba, Akamaru would be that huge dog I call a partner." the other replied, answering the unasked question. She nodded, removing two of the long needles from the fire and handing one to the Inuzuka. There didn't seem to be a single scar on either hand, and as he gently touched the needle before taking it, he noted it wasn't as hot as he'd expected. "What exactly would you be doing out here, Kiba?" she asked, taking a small bite out of her own meat after finishing the question.

Already with a mouthful, he quickly swallowed it and answered. "I'm on my way back to the village with my team. We were caught in the rain and had to stop for the night. I woke up early and could smell the smoke, so came to investigate." He was cautious in his answer, although the young woman still looked to her canine for confirmation. Not a sound passed between them, but she frowned at him still. "Why lie to me? You haven't been near another human since you were caught in the rain. So either you're on your way back alone, which I doubt from the lack of gear, or you're avoiding someone on your team."

Kiba let out a small growl, before thinking how to answer. "You tell me how you communicate with your dog without either one on you making a noise, I'll tell you the truth." he stated, taking another mouthful of meat. Both Inuzuka's waited patiently for an answer, the two females sitting silently, looking at one another for a few moments. Shrugging, she let it drop. "Your turn."

"Same question." he stated, still chewing away at a piece of food. "Why are you out here?" Mid chew, Yuri stopped, looking at the male. She hesitated in her own answer, obviously debating what kind of answer to give. He'd given her a fairly detailed one, so was likely to want the same in return. "I travel a lot. I've been to a lot of places, but Konoha is...one I've been meaning to check out. Although, with the way the weather's been I may skip it and head...home." The hesitations made him frown.

"Now who's the one lying." the Inuzuka smirked, baring his fangs. "The rain isn't why you're thinking of leaving, something else is." Yuri shrugged her reply, finishing off her meat. One remained in the fire, crisped nicely in the heat. Pausing briefly, she picked it up and offered it to Kiba. "I don't eat a hell of a lot, that meat was only going to last another day with or without another person eating it. You're welcome to it if you want it." The Inuzuka shook his head, his appetite somehow satisfied by the bacon and sausage he'd just eaten.

Easily removing the meat from the long needle, she split it in half and gave some to each of the two canines, who happily finished it off. Silence ensued, and Kiba finally looked back into the sky, his golden yellow eyes catching the light brightly. An hour had already passed, and it was likely his team mates would awaken soon. "I should probably head back to my team." He stood, stretching happily, barely remembering the young woman still had his jacket. Somewhat more swiftly than any kunoichi he'd seen, Yuri had moved around the fireplace, pulling on the dark pants that lay there.

A second later, she'd removed his jacket and pulled her own shirt on, the articles drier than they had been an hour earlier. Holding out his jacket, he pulled it on quickly, doing it up. "Thanks for breakfast. Maybe I'll see you around Konoha sometime." he stated, turning to look at the young woman. Akamaru was already at his side, Kuroi at hers. "Yea, maybe." she stated, dismissing the male with a shrug. Sighing, he and the white dog took off into the trees, heading back to Shino and Hinata.

The Inuzuka couldn't ignore the unusual feeling he got being around Yuri, it was...indescribable. He couldn't explain it, or understand it in the least, but whatever it was, it was there quite clearly. Shaking it from his mind, he landed a few meters from the tree opening he'd left his team mates in. Shino was already waiting outside, his back to the gap, making the tanned male reason it was likely the Hyuuga heiress was changing.

Moments later the pale-eyed female emerged, clothed in warm, dry clothing. Their bags were thoroughly soaked, although none of the team minded. "Lets head back." Shino stated, picking up his pack and slinging it onto his back. Hinata did the same and moved aside slightly, allowing Kiba to grab his. "Kiba, where were you last night? I woke up and you were gone." the woman stated, glancing at the tan male.

"Keeping watch." he stated calmly. He'd grown accustomed to lying to her about small things, it made it just that tiny bit easier. "We may be close to the boarder, but it doesn't mean we're entirely safe. Shino's insects aren't as useful in the rain, and my senses are only slightly dimmed in it, so it made me the obvious choice." The explanation was plausible, and as the trio headed in towards the gate, nothing more was said on the answer.

Shino made no move to ask the Inuzuka about his whereabouts of the morning with Hinata around, although from the glance he gave the other male, he definitely would once they parted ways. Not far from the gate, Kiba's eyes narrowed and he stopped suddenly, suppressing a growl. The scent of a familiar blond was close, about the same distance away as the gate. Naruto was there waiting for them it seemed, although the Inuzuka felt he could sooner kill the blond than talk to him happily.

Noticing this sudden change, Shino also stopped, prompting the Hyuuga woman to stop also. The more he caught of the blond's scent, the more he realised the male wasn't alone there. The scent of another trio was slowly reaching him, and soon more and more became detectable. He frowned, somewhat confused. "Kiba, what's wrong?" Hinata asked, looking at the male. "Everyone's at the gate." he muttered, the frown still firmly in place.

He and Shino looked at one another, neither one knowing just what was going on. Hinata was just as clueless, and activated her byakugan, looking towards the gate. From where she was, it was easy to tell that Neji also had his own activated, and he, Tenten and Lee were headed towards them, the remainder of the group waiting behind. Picking this from the closeness of their scents, Kiba darted swiftly ahead of his team mates, Hinata moving to follow him.

Shino stopped her softly, looking after the other male. "If there's something seriously wrong, it might be best if he finds out what it is first. It could be nothing, he's just finding out." the Aburame reassured, a hand resting gently on her shoulder. She watched as Kiba encountered the other team, stopping to talk to them for a moment before darting back to his own. The older Jounin remained where they were, waiting for the younger group.

"Neji was waiting to escort you back to the Hyuuga compound last night. When we didn't arrive he got worried and talked to Tsunade about it. She agreed with his worry and he called on the rest of the group. If we weren't here by lunch they were coming out to search." The Inuzuka explained, grinning. His mood seemed slightly different, although it was such a tiny amount that only the ever-observant Aburame could detect it.

Nodding, the other two followed Kiba back to the older trio, who nodded and lead them back towards the gate. Soon enough all seven were dropping to the ground, Kiba falling back behind the rest of the group. Hinata's eyes lit up as she saw Naruto, smiling at him. This time, he seemed to notice, and it took Shino only moments to figure out just what was going on. They'd been gone a few weeks, and obviously the rest of the group had done something in the time away. As Naruto slowly walked towards Hinata, Neji remained at her side while the others moved away slightly.

"We'll go report into the Hokage." Shino stated, the tanned male already off into the town. Shikamau and Sakura had followed him, already concerned about his mindset. "You need to go home and warm up." Giving a quick glance to the older Hyuuga, the Aburame darted swiftly after his team mate. Only Neji, Lee, Tenten, Ino and Choji remained, along with Naruto and Hinata.

"Ah, Hinata...can I...talk to you about something?" The Hyuuga female was already blushing, but at the comment her heart began to race. Looking at Neji, the older Hyuuga gave a slight nod and stepped aside allowing the blonde to move slightly closer. "Can we go for a walk?" Nodding, the young woman followed him, well aware that her cousin would be within sight, but out of earshot. He was her protector, that was his job.

Kiba meanwhile was torn. He _knew_. He knew the second he detected everyone at the gate. They'd finally managed to get through to Naruto and make him open his eyes. They'd finally managed to tell him that Hinata was smitten with him, and he'd been blind to it for years. As much as the Inuzuka loved the Hyuuga and wanted her to be happy, the thought that she was with someone else was driving his canine side insane. His instincts told him to go and fight for her, his heart the same. Only his head stopped him from doing it.

His head screamed at him that now the blonde knew, he'd give the Hyuuga woman the attention she'd wanted for years. Finally stopping on the far side of town, he smashed one fist harshly into a tree. His heart was breaking, and he couldn't help but let himself break down. Crying, he dropped to the ground, soon enough hearing Shikamaru and Sakura land behind him.

They stood, watching him closely, both unsure of how to contact the Inuzuka. This was the easiest way for him to be free of his emotions towards his team mate, but at the same time it would hurt him more than anything. It was their only choice however, Hinata was taken with the blond, and it didn't seem likely those feelings would go away.

Solemnly, Shikamaru stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, Shino's resting on the other one moments later. "How long?" Shino muttered, looking down at the usually cheerful dog-boy. Both other witnesses understood the question, and waited for his answer quietly. "Maybe a week. A day. Depends how long it takes me to find someone else."

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Tai: And now the story is predictable...or is it? Well it kind of is, but there's things you still don't know that will change EVERYTHING. Review please


	3. Chapter 3

Tai: Well it's been a while. Turns out I've had this chapter written since April, I didn't put it up before now because it's been a while since I looked through everything on my laptop or thought about writing. That and I planned to finish the next chapter and start on the fifth before posting this. I'm almost done with the fourth chapter, so not far from starting the fifth, so all's good.

To anyone waiting for an update on another story of mine, if you haven't reviewed please do! An alert about someone faving this story was what reminded me that I needed to do more work on it. Things are likely to get a bit OOC and confusing when scences switch in future chapters, but it should be easy enough to understand. Or at least, I'll try and make it easy to understand when there's been such a switch.

Anyway, because I already had 1.5 chapters written and to read over before continuing, I remember exactly where I was heading with this...well almost. About 50% remember, 30% guess, 20% feel like it and I'm bored. So you get a mixture of things.

Tell ya what, if I get 5 new reviews on this I will post the next chapter on Saturday, becuase that's when I'll be finished with my math assignment and tutorials and such for the week. Otherwise the next update of this can wait until I've updated every other story I need to.

Disclaimer: You recognise it from somewhere else then I don't own it, get it?

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Kiba hadn't moved from his position on the ground, and Sakura looked between the three males present, wondering if there was anything she could do to help. She hadn't been particularly close to the dog nin, but it still stung to see his smile and cheery attitude gone. Looking to the two males comforting the distraught nin, she realised there wasn't anything she could do for him. He needed time to deal with the reality of the situation, and the boys were probably the only ones who could understand what he needed for comfort.

"I'll tell Tsunade you're back." Sakura muttered, looking more at Shino then his team mate. "She knows about the situation also, so she shouldn't mind if you report in to her later." Receiving a nod from the Aburame, she took off into the trees, heading towards the Hokage's tower. Not long after her departure, Kiba fell quiet. His shoulders were still shaking badly, but he appeared calmer than he had earlier, managing to stand quietly. Without a word, the trio headed off to Shikamaru's apartment. Being from larger clans, Kiba and Shino still stayed within their clan compounds, although each had their own apartment-like building within the walls.

The walk to said apartment was deafeningly silent. Normally on such a walk the Inuzuka would have darted ahead with Akamaru, the duo racing towards their intended location and back to the other two as many times as it took before all four were there. Instead, not even the large canine could prompt such cheerful behaviour out of the male. He merely stayed close to the tanned boy's side, allowing a claw-like hand to rest of his head.

"Someone will need to tell Tsume." Shino stated quietly, he and the Nara walking slowly behind Kiba. "I don't know how she'll react to the news, so it might be best it Neji and I do it." The lazy nin agreed, speeding up slightly, "You might want to do that sooner rather than later. Who could've thought this would be so troublesome?" Shino shook his head and darted off, his insects swarming ahead to locate the Hyuuga male as quickly as possible.

Knowing how Inuzuka's could be, if Tsume found out from someone else that Hinata and Naruto were now together...well there'd be hell to pay for the younger ninja who'd caused it. They'd all been trying to help the Inuzuka heir, but with his heart broken in such a manner she'd be pissed. It was instinctual for her to want to protect him, even if her more reasonable side told her they'd done the right thing.

Shikamaru in the meantime was trying to cheer the heir himself up. It didn't seem to be working very well in the least, the other boy seeming more deep in his own mind than he'd been in a while. Giving in, he let out a final sigh. "The other guys will be coming around in a few hours, we figured it'd be easier than going home to your clan tonight." He didn't expect a reply, but he did manage to get one. "Thanks. Although I don't think I want to be around anyone tonight."

Stopping, both males realised they'd reached their destination, and Kiba waited for the Nara to open the door. "Although there is something weird I think I should tell you guys about anyway. Just something isn't sitting right and I don't know why." the Inuzuka muttered, following the paler boy into the house. "I'm surprised you can remember something like that. Anything to do with your mission or something else?" Shikamaru asked, glad to have the other male talking.

"Something else. I'll explain once everyone else is here. As long as my mother doesn't kill Neji and Shino." Shikamaru laughed, looking quite closely at the Inuzuka. There was some of the familiar spark and playfulness in the comment, but it was a possibility. Akamaru seemed a little less concerned after the comment, putting the Nara at ease. "Why don't we find something to eat? Lee and Choji are likely to bring something, but with the other two gone to talk to your mom..."

The Inuzuka smirked, "They'll want something really good to eat after that." He began digging through the freezer while Shikamaru dug through the fridge, picking out some fresh vegetables. Unbeknownst to Kiba, while he and his team were away everyone else had put in for enough meat and vegetables to feed the whole group. They'd had a suspicion that the male would only want male company for a small time. With all the pain his instincts had caused him, the girls could understand and knew they couldn't do much to help.

Turning back to the bench, the Nara couldn't help but grin at the sight on the bench. Kiba had already managed to remove four trays of mince and steak from the freezer. He was halfway through turning back to the freezer when he froze, looking at the door. His eyes were wide, making the other nin frown. A thundering pounding on the door made him jump, partway through asking what was wrong.

Cautiously, he looked over at Kiba, who seemed somewhat determined to not go near the door. "It's your mother isn't it." he stated, his assumption made correct when Neji called out. "You might want to open the door before it needs replacing." Doing so, the feral looking female glared deeply at him, making him step aside quickly. Kiba didn't make any attempt to run or hide, although it was clear he _really_ didn't want to see Tsume at the moment. Kuromaru followed her in, placing himself between mother and son before she could verbally rip into him about the situation.

"Tsume you know as well as I do that he's done the right thing." the dark dog snarled at her, probably the only one in the room who had no fears about standing right in front of his partner at this point in time. She was already growling at the canine, Akamaru moving to stand at the older canines side. "He's been torn up enough by this, you don't need to do it too." "He should already have a mate by now, you know that." she snarled back, the other three males already retreating out of the apartment. They needn't be involved in the family discussion.

"The fact that his first crush is with someone else makes things all the more complicated..." she seemed to calm suddenly, looking at her son. It took her partner several moments to realise what she was frowning about, and it was likely to be something none of the others would understand well enough. A frown formed, and both of the older Inuzuka's looked at the boy, curious as to what explanation he would give them.

"It's nothing. Just someone I ran into on my way back from the mission this morning." he stated dismissively. Unsure if he was telling the truth, but her anger somewhat calmed, Tsume left, Kuromaru apologising as they passed Neji, Shino and Shikamaru. Waiting until she was well gone, the trio shut the door tightly behind them, Akamaru taking a position near the door to alert them to the arrival of anyone else. "What was that about?" Neji asked, looking at the younger male, "The anger I understand, that sudden calmness was unusual." Both Aburmae and Nara agreed, looking curiously at the Inuzuka.

"I'll explain once the other two get here. It's the same thing I was telling Shikamaru doesn't feel right." he sighed. As if on cue, both Lee and Choji arrived, carrying bread and cheese. They were about the only things missing from the fridge. "What happened this morning?" Shino asked, turning back to his team mate. The rest of the room dropped onto the furniture around, looking intently at the tan male. "I woke up early, and caught a whiff of smoke. I thought it might be the start of a forest fire, so I headed off to investigate it. Called out to Akamaru when I passed you and Hinata, and he smelt it too.

"We found the source, there was a girl sitting next to a fire waiting for her clothes to dry. She had a dog with her who picked us up in an instant, so I gave her my jacket to keep warm while she waited for hers to dry. That's what my mother picked up and calmed down about." he looked at Neji, who seemed to understand why it had calmed her. "Anyway, I asked why she was around outside the gate, she told me she was a traveller who'd wanted to come and see Konoha for a while.

"That's what's not sitting right. She told me she was a traveller but...she was carrying around sausages and bacon." Just as he'd expected, the rest of the room frowned. "That...doesn't sound right." Lee stated, agreeing nods moving around the room. "Travellers are a lot like ninja going on long missions. They don't take things that are likely to expire quickly, that includes meat. Usually trail mix, canned food and noodles." "Agreed. Something is definitely up." the Hyuuga prodigy agreed.

"Well it's nothing too long lasting or dodgy." Shikamaru reasoned, "If it was a scouting mission, half naked or not she would've run at the first sign of someone finding her. Same with if she was going to attack or steal something from the village." "So she wants to enter the village for non-dangerous reasons but is hesitant to for some unknown reason?" Choji asked, already starting to devour some of the bread nearby. "That sounds weird."

"Well, why don't we keep talking about this while we make something to eat? I'm starved, I haven't eaten anything much today." the Inuzuka growled, already heading for the kitchen. The heavily clothed male agreed, following his team mate and removing several knives from the nearby knife block – enough for everyone to help out. "Any ideas on what to cook?" "We'll just cook it all and make whatever we feel like it. Leftovers can be tea." Shikamaru stated, joining his guests in the kitchen.

With six people in the kitchen, it was difficult for anyone to really do a full job. Vegetables were chopped up by Neji and Shino, the meats dealt with by Kiba and Choji, while Shikamaru and Lee were in charge of the cooking. Akamaru stayed close, instantly devouring anything that was edible and dropped to the ground. It took an hour and there was a lot of mess to clean up, but there was definitely enough food to feed a small army. "You know, we should call the girls in to clean up and go for a night out." Kiba suggested, earning a smirk from Neji.

"I can just picture it. Tenten would come around just to kill us all, then tell us to clean up the damn kitchen and all the fucking blood we spilt all over the place." Halfway through a mouthful of drink, the green beast found himself grabbing for a cloth, fizzy liquid pouring out his nose. The majority of the rest of the room burst into laughter, Shino remaining quiet. Even a canine-like smirk appeared on the large dog's features. "Lets not then." the Nara snickered, grins still plastering everyone's faces.

Sitting around doing nothing once all their appetites had been quenched, they resumed talking about the young woman Kiba had encountered earlier in the day. Once the Inuzuka had retold everything that had occurred, they sat thinking of what a girl would have to fear from entering the village. "She doesn't look like a ninja, so if she'd done something wrong by the village ANBU would've caught and dealt to her ages ago. Even if it was years and years ago, they'd keep an updated photo."

"That's true. So she hasn't done anything wrong, maybe someone close to her has convinced her she has and she's too terrified to enter the town." Lee reasoned, "Using that logic, we could go out, meet up with her and tell her she'll be fine with us." "If she knows of ANBU, she'll know that ordinary Jounin are no match for them, it wouldn't be comfort enough." the Nara argued. "If she's terrified of entering the town in the least, she wouldn't be this close."

"Maybe she's got someone here she wants to visit?" Choji supplied. "The want to visit might be a strong enough draw to get her within fire country, but the fear enough to keep her away." "That would make more sense. But what if it's not a physical reason for visiting even?" Neji suggested. "If it was a person but she didn't want to come here, they could go and visit her. If its not a thing or a person, as both could be sent on request, maybe it's something to do with her mind. Nothing else that seemed odd about her, Kiba?"

The tan male thought for several moments, before realising there was one small thing he hadn't said. "There was something familiar about her, well her eyes at least. I'd seen eyes just like hers somewhere else before, I just can't place it." Choji seemed almost triumphant at that. "A person she wants to visit, definitely."

The Hyuuga prodigy seemed still concerned about the matter, adamant that whatever the reason, it wasn't to visit a person. In any case, all of the group dropped it in favour of arguing over what else they could do. Kiba had gone back into a silent mode, the talk of this morning obviously re-disturbing the feelings that had been quite happy to die down for a while. Watching, the large canine gave the boy a soft lick, attempting to move his mind off the subject and on to one more cheerful.

'I need to talk to Shino about this. From the sounds of things this girl would be approved of by his mother, and therefore his clan. We just need to find out if there'll be anything stopping him from moving on now that Hinata has Naruto.' Tuning back in to the conversation, he found Lee and Choji arguing over what they should do, while Shikamaru informed them both of how troublesome deciding was, and that they had plenty of time to do both with everyone staying.

Kiba still seemed to remain in his own little world, as once more his emotions decided to torment him, his instincts clearly starting to take over. That was the other reason the girls weren't around, and he wasn't alone nor with his clan. Although the girls would attempt to comfort him, the second his animal desires took control, he had little account for his actions. Knowing that Hinata was with someone else was unbearable in itself, but knowing that someone who was less able to protect her was who she'd chosen...

Akamaru suddenly began growling, backing away from Kiba. His hands had become more claw-like, although they still covered his face for the most part. He was shaking, but it took the rooms other occupants only seconds to figure out what was causing the canine so much distress. He'd lost out to the desires within that screamed out at him to fight for her and get rid of the competition.

That was the second reason the guys were there.

In an instant, Choji and Lee had him pinned, the Hyuuga had activated his bloodline trait while Aburame and Nara stood, waiting for the response. It wasn't something that happened instantly, it took several moments, but once the beast within had been released...

The Inuzuka began struggling against the two males restraining him, his eyes turned to slits as he attempted to break free. Physically, the two restricting him were more than a match, but there was no telling what lengths Kiba could go to in a last ditch effort to gain Hinata's affections. Catching the Akamichi off balance for a mere moment, the largest of the males was moved slightly closer, crying out in pain as the tan boy bit down on the nearby limb.

Despite the pain, he hung on for longer, resting his entire weight on the male below. The thrashing didn't cease, causing Shino to sigh and nod to Shikamaru. They'd discussed this months ago, long before the girls had planned to tell Naruto of Hinata's feelings, what they'd do if he ever ended up in this state. They'd secured a strong anaesthetic from Tsunade, in the event that they couldn't use force to subdue him without causing harm to themselves or the frantic ninja.

Pulling a bottle from one of his pockets, he unscrewed the cap and held it out to the Aburame. Several insects came forwards and entered the bottle, somewhat undisturbed by the banging noise, as Kiba slammed his feet against the floor. The same insects left the bottle, each now full of the strong drug as they landed on the Inuzuka's exposed flesh, injecting the drug into his system.

Still thrashing wildly, Kiba barely noticed the small stings, thinking nothing of them as he concentrated on fighting off the two males on him. Lee watched closely for a change in his behaviour or movement that signalled the anaesthetic was taking effect and they could release him. The small amount delivered by Shino's insects would be more than enough to put him out for at least an hour, based on a few small calculations Shikamaru had carried out.

The Inuzuka's movements became less wild and powerful, his movements becoming somewhat sluggish and lazy as he tried to fight. Already to late to shake it off, he tried in vain to stay awake longer and fight. It was a losing battle, and soon enough he fell unconscious, Choji and Lee still holding him down. They waited another minute before releasing him and the room let out a collective sigh.

Akamaru had managed to warn them in just enough time, and now he lay down next to Kiba, keeping watch over his unconscious friend and partner.

All anyone could do now, was wait.

_Meanwhile, somewhere on the outskirts of the village..._

"_Yuri, what's bothering you? Sensei sent us here for a reason, but you seem distracted by something."_

Looking over at the dark dog laying next to her, she let out a sigh. 'Can't even keep things private in my own mind, thanks to you.'

"_You know that's not true. I can only hear what you're thinking if you're thinking them to me." _

'That's true.'

"_So? What's bothering you, that boy and his pet that we met earlier?"_

'A little.'

"_Come on, tell me. I'm already in your head, just tell me what the problem is."_

She sighed, looking at the dark animal. 'It's just...I know sensei's trained us well enough to be able to avoid ANBU officers if they come near us, that's not the problem. I just don't remember anything about my past, I don't know what I've done here or if I have. Sensei's been the one thing in my life that I've depended on. What if he's lied to me for my entire life? What if...'

"_He took you from your family and they've assumed you dead for all these years? That's been a possibility for all of you. It could also be true that he's told you the truth about everything so far. You won't know if they're going to try and kill you or just treat you like a harmless villager and not pay any mind. There's no telling until we actually go into the village and have a look around."_

'And for that I get to go and risk getting killed. Sounds like fun, neh?' both females let out an amused laugh, 'What kind of vibe did you get from that guy anyway?'

"_He seemed distracted by something. Not the fact that you were almost completely naked, he didn't even seem the least bit interested in that. Hell, the guys you grew up with still sit there and drool every time they see you like that, and they've seen you wearing nothing plenty of times before."_

'We're getting off-topic.'

"_In any case, I like him. I didn't get any threatening feeling from him, he seemed more confused and avoiding something more than anything else. I'm not sure what though. Any idea what those markings on his face might mean?"_

'None. Pity he seemed so distracted by another woman, he was cute.'

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Tai: Any questions put them in a review, same with comments and what-not. I'll update...well it says in the preceeding comment :P


	4. Chapter 4

**Tai: **Well, I'm well aware there's no one reading this, but I have it already written and thought 'Why the fuck not?' so I'm continuing to put it on here. Review if you're reading it.

Disclaimer: Don't own it if you recognise it.

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By the time the tanned male awoke, it was almost lunchtime. He couldn't remember much of what had happened, only remembering Lee and Choji fighting over what the night's activity would be. After that everything was blank, although he felt incredibly woozy for no apparent reason, unless.... "I was starting to think we'd given you too much." a familiar voice stated, coming into view. It took the Inuzuka a moment to realise who it was, his vision seeming blurry. "We're lucky Akamaru noticed something was up so quickly, any longer and there'd have been a bigger problem than the bite-mark in Choji's arm."

At the comment, Kiba's eyes widened, letting out a small groan. "I know you didn't mean it, but fuck those teeth hurt." said ninja stated, dropping onto the nearby couch. Apologising quickly, he frowned a little at the two males present. Akamaru seemed no where nearby, nor did Shino or Lee. Looking between Neji and the Akamichi planted on the couch, he knew something was up. "Where are the others?" "They've gone out to see if they can't find that girl you mentioned. Akamaru knows her scent, so Shino's hoping he'll be able to track them."

As if to prove the prodigy wrong, the aforementioned trio entered the room, sighing in defeat. "No sign of her. Akamaru lead us back to where you'd met her, but there's nothing. The scents are about the only thing we could find, and even then they just disappear." the Aburame stated, the large white canine that had been by his side bounding over to the Inuzuka on the couch. Lee looked between the duo, before making his own statement."She had a dog with her, so she's bound to know how to cover her tracks."

Kiba nodded briefly, agreeing partly with the statement. "It's easy enough to cover human scents, canine scents are much harder to hide, and even then there's a small amount that can be picked up. The only way there's no canine scent to pick up is if the dog is a summon. Yuri moved on alone, and summoned Kuroi to her, instead of both of them moving along the ground or trees." "You never said you got names out of them earlier." A fifth voice stated, looking at the Inuzuka. "If she's been told she's from the village but wanted dead, its easy enough to check. It could be she was taken from the village and fed some bullshit story that she's got nowhere else to go."

"That's a point. Tsunade should be able to tell us if anyone by that name was kidnapped." the green beast agreed, looking at Neji. "We're working off the theory that she doesn't know anything but what this person has told her, right?" A round of nods confirmed this, and it seemed nobody could quite understand what his point was. "Yuri may not be the name she had before she was taken. If the memory loss was bad enough, this person could convince her of anything, including what her name is. It's worth a shot, but if nothing turns up then we'll have to have another go at finding her."

"Why are you guys so interested in finding her anyway?" Kiba finally asked. The question had been bothering him for a while, it wasn't like lying about her reasons for being around the village were hugely important, nor was the fact that she'd lied about being a traveller. None of the other five answered, instead choosing to watch him silently. It took a moment, as the full events of last night combined with the new conversation. Finally being the one to bite the bullet, the Hyuuga spoke up.

"Your mother seemed fine with you having another woman's scent on you, even if the reason was completely innocent. Shino and I have discussed it, and it seems that she may be your best chance for finding someone you clan will accept. You already know she likes dogs..." "She could be a murderer for all we know." the Inuzuka stated. Passing a glance to Akamaru, Shino realised what the sudden interruption was. His mind knew Hinata was with someone else, but his instincts were still being a bitch.

"Kiba, you need to let go. You've waited long enough for Hinata, and she's with someone else now. Let go and move on, that's what you need to do, and that's what we'll help you do." The black of his glasses met with the yellow of Kiba's eyes, and it seemed the Aburame was able to get through to him. Sighing, he looked up at Neji. "If she's lost her memory, she may be here to try and get it back. There might be a place she's looking for that she's hoping will spark them."

"It's a theory. You and Shino should go and report in about your mission anyway. Ask her about the girl while you're there. We'll keep looking in the meantime."

_Just outside the gates of Konoha...._

"_Well? Are we going in or do you plan to sit here and look at the gates for the next two days and have sensei drag you through them when he gets here?"_

'Give it a rest Kuroi. I'm thinking.'

"_About what exactly? You don't just leave your thoughts there to be read like a book you know."_

'Well, sensei always said they'd kill me, but I've seen two ANBU officers pass right over us without even a glance. The only reason they'd do that is because I'm no one important. I'm not a threat to them or the village, nor have I done anything wrong. All that means is...'

"_The one person you've relied on for all these years has been lying to you for just as long."_

Her head dropping, the large dark canine nudged the girl's side, whining slightly. Yuri seemed numb to anything, even the mental pleading of the large animal at her side, and physical prompts. 'He's lied to me for the last seventeen years....How can he live like that? Knowing that I've depended on him for so much, and he's lied to be about much more.'

Finally standing and slinging her bag over one shoulder, the slightly-tanned woman headed towards the gate. Nothing about her appearance stated she was a ninja, and by all definitions she wasn't one. The light denim shorts and black shirt more said 'holiday-maker' than anything, so she was let through the gate with few questions. Several glances were given to the canine at her side, but after allowing both gate guards to check her temper towards strangers, they were led away.

"_So, where we headed?"_

'There's a secluded area I'm looking for. It's probably the only thing I remember about being here last time, other than the presence of ANBU. There was a distinct scratch on a large stone in the area, and I doubt it's been worn down to make it invisible just yet. I was hit by something too, and leant against a tree, so there might be a stain in the wood from that.'

"_Sounds like a plan. Think we might run into that boy again? And if so, are you planning to flirt a little more?"_

'Maybe, but is there a point? It's not like sensei would let me stay here just because I met a cute boy.'

"_Wasn't the whole point of this to prove to yourself that there was nothing left so you could make a final decision on your own?" _

'Yes, since when has he ever let me make a decision?' Silence ensued for a few moments as the duo continued to wander around, both looking around curiously.

"_Would it likely be a training area then?" _

'Most likely. It was almost completely surrounded by trees.' Nodding her head, the black canine took off in the opposite direction, telling the girl she'd be back shortly. Jumping up into a nearby tree, she climbed cautiously to the top and began looking around, curious as to how far she'd be able to see, and more importantly the area she was looking for. Spotting something that roughly matched what she was searching for not far from where she was, she quickly jumped down and walked slowly to the area, feeling Kuroi brush against her.

"_Didn't find anything, you think you might have?"_

'Yea...' Looking around the trees as they continued on, she began to notice small scratches in the wood; scars that hadn't fully healed since they'd been caused. 'This may well be it...' her eyes searching the area as the continued on, as they landed on a large shaped stone off to one side she froze. A deep cut was visible in the rock, the black wolf pausing as the tan girl continued on ahead. As she slowly let her gaze flit around the area, memories came flooding back as if a locked door had just been opened.

'There was a group of us; we'd been taken out for training by members of ANBU because we had skills unusual for our age group. We were attacked by a small group who were yelling that no one village had the right to train such a force...the others were killed; I was injured and my teacher sat me down by a tree so I wouldn't be hurt anymore...' Moving forwards slightly, she ran her hand over the now smooth rock, her eyes gazing over a series of names printed onto the stone. Her eyes froze on one in particular; Shiranui Yuri. Not listed as one of the dead, but rather as an unknown.

Growling from behind her made the teen spin suddenly, her eyes narrowing on the male. Her guard dropped after several moments, an air of familiarity surrounding the male. "No...it couldn't be..." he mumbled, looking at the girl curiously. She remained silent, her mind still attempting to place the male in her own mind. "Yuri?" Unsure of what to do, she allowed Kuroi to continue to snarl at the male as her mind processed the somehow familiar scene.

_--Flashback--_

_Rain began to drizzle slowly as the pale young girl bounded through the trees, flicking herself up onto one of the above branches. Smiling, she watched as her pale haired sensei darted forwards below her, stopping a few trees ahead to look around. "Yuri?" "Hai, sensei?" Cocking her head to one side, she smiled as he turned, shaking his head slightly. "You're definitely faster than most I've come across." Her smile faded as she noticed something not far behind the nin, her frown enough for the male to glance back and soon jump to pull her out of the way, straightening his normally crooked forehead protector. "Stay close; I don't want this creep to have a chance to grab you..."_

_--End Flashback--_

Her eyes narrowing on the male's appearance, her mind slowly processed the likeness and differences between the memory and the man before her. Similarities outweighed the differences, and most of those could be explained by the seventeen year gap since she'd last seen him. "You're alive..." he stated softly, not daring to move with the snarling canine between them. She nodded slowly, Kuroi moving to stand next to the girl. "Your brother's been worried about you; if it hadn't been for the rain that night we probably would've been able to find you..." Remaining quiet, she wondered just what could happen now.

"Kakashi-sensei!" the sudden yell was enough of a distraction for the male to look away, both girl and wolf taking off into the trees without a sound. Letting out a deep sigh, the white haired male ran a hand through the strands. "What is it, Sakura?" "Tsunade-sama wants to talk to you; something to do with a girl and something that happened seventeen years ago." Pausing, the older ninja thought about the statement for a moment. "Has it really been that long?" Without another word he wandered in the direction of the Hokage's tower, leaving the pink haired woman to look around the area. 'I wonder what he was doing here...'

"_I take it you knew him then." _

'He was my sensei before I was taken from the village. That stone I was looking at, it's a memorial stone now. I'm the only one not listed as dead, just unknown. They never found out what happened to me, and because it was raining that night they couldn't track the scents.' Finally stopping a fair distance from the area, she dropped her bag to the ground and sat, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"_I see. So how does one go about re-meeting the people they knew seventeen years ago and dealing with the awkwardness that's bound to crop up? Or do we accept that sensei lied and head back to him anyway?"_

'I don't know anymore. I want to stay here; Kakashi said I have a brother, so is there any reason I can't stay?' she let out a sigh, running a hand through her long brown hair. 'It'd be nice to stay and have a life. Not a life built around a complete lie.' The large dark canine moved to lie next to her, Yuri placing a hand gently on the canines head. 'Why can't things just be simple?'

Knocking gently on the door, the copy nin soon found himself in front of the Hokage, along with Shino and Kiba. "Kiba encountered a girl a few nights ago, whose description would roughly match that of an old student of yours, Kakashi." "Yuri? I wouldn't be surprised." he answered, earning surprised looks from all three. "I was visiting the area where we lost the entire group and she was there; Sakura turned up before I could ask her anything, and she took off in an instant." he explained, earning a small nod from the blonde. "She seemed somewhat lost, which makes me think the blow to the head she took all those years ago may have caused a bit of memory loss."

"Otherwise she's harmless?" the blonde questioned, earning a nod from the white haired man. "Inform Genma she's been found; we won't do anything more at this stage. She's probably more than a little unsure of what to do, so it'd be best to let her sort her own mind out rather than asking questions about where she's been. Kiba, if you come across her again don't mention anything about this, understood?" Earning a nod from the Inuzuka, she looked briefly at the Aburame, debating what to do. "That's all for now. I'm going to assume you've told Neji, Choji, Lee and Shikamaru also; if they find her at all they're not to approach her for anything less than offering help or directions."

Nodding, all three left the office and headed their own ways, Shino and Kiba back to Shikamaru's and Kakashi off to inform Genma of his sister's reappearance. 'That would explain why I thought she looked a little familiar. Her eyes, they're the same as Genma's.' "Kiba?" Glancing up at the Aburame, he wondered just what had the usually stoic male concerned. "Are you all right with Hinata and Naruto being together?" Letting out a sigh, the tanned male stopped suddenly, somewhat glad not to have Akamaru with him. "I doubt I ever will be. But she's happy with Naruto, which is why things are...difficult now."

Shaking his head clear, the Inuzuka continued on past the Aburame, rushing to return to Shikamaru's apartment. The blonde and Hyuuga heiress had been together less than two days, but that was long enough to convince Kiba's mind he'd lost out. Part of him still wanted to fight for her, but the rest had given up; that much was clear to the Aburame. 'At least I can tell Neji she's within the village. He may be able to find her with Akamaru's help.'


	5. Chapter 5

**Tai:** I somewhat get the feeling no one is actually reading this. However, I do have my reasons for the way things are going, and it's probably not as predictable as you're thinking it is. Nothing goes the way we plan, and there's no real happily ever after in the real world, so don't automatically assume you know what will happen. You don't, trust me on that one.

I do already have the next chapter for this written out, but I won't post that until I've got the seventh chapter also written. It just means I have more time to write chapters and think of things if I need to. Also I am open to suggestions and opinions on this story, so feel free to leave such things in reviews. Flamers are also welcome; they're good for melting marshmallows.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, get used to it.

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"So she's actually from the village, but doesn't remember it?" Lee summarised, earning a nod from the Inuzuka. "That makes more sense then coming to visit someone; she probably came back to try and remember. " Neji stated, thinking aloud more than voicing his opinion. "But if that's the case, why wait so long? Tsunade-sama said it happened seventeen years ago, why would anyone wait that long to get their memory back?" Silence ensued for several moments, before Choji suggested another reason. "Maybe she didn't have a choice and someone was keeping her away?"

"Like it matters. Tsunade said to leave it." Kiba snarled, irked by the topic of conversation. "She's not hurting anyone or doing anything illegal; she'll probably do what she came to do and leave." The Inuzuka couldn't see why the rest of the group were so interested in the girl; it wasn't as though she was anything remarkable or important. Sharing a glance, Shikamaru, Neji, Choji and Lee debated who would be responsible for telling the tanned male about the night's plans. Hinata had stopped by earlier to invite them all to a party for her and Naruto – something that wouldn't help the Inuzuka in the least.

Hence their reason for questioning the information they had about the girl. If they could convince her to attend, then it was possible Kiba would have enough of a distraction from the blonde to be able to enjoy himself. Finally biting the bullet, Choji inwardly wished they didn't have to tell him. "Hinata and Naruto have invited us all to a party tonight to celebrate them finally getting together." The very idea made the Inuzuka growl, his hands tightly clenching the material of his pants. "We discussed how to deal with it before you and Shino returned, and though that if we could convince Yuri to come, she might be enough of a distraction..." "No need. I'm not going."

Heading off towards the bedrooms, the rooms remaining occupants let out a collective sigh as the door slammed. "I'll talk to Tsunade and Kakashi about the situation." Neji stated, standing. Akamaru was soon by his side, eager to help in any way he could to cheer up his best friend. "If they agree it's possible she'd want to stay in the village then getting to know people her own age will be a good start. Otherwise they both know the situation that Kiba's been dealing with and it may be they allow it regardless." Agreeing to the idea, the remaining four watched as the Hyuuga and canine headed off for the impromptu meeting.

"I suppose we should try and convince him he needs to go then." Lee sighed, looking around the room for something more important to do. Unfortunately for all, they'd already done everything that needed doing for the time being. Silently, Shino stood and headed off in the direction Kiba had, looking at the door quietly for several moments before speaking. "Hinata's our team mate. She knows you're not out on a mission, so it will seem suspicious if you don't attend." He stated, earning an annoyed growl from the Inuzuka. "That or you'll have Naruto around tomorrow asking why you weren't there because it upset Hinata."

"Fine." The Inuzuka growled, a thud against the wall enough to signify he'd given in.

"So you think it might help Kiba if she attends?" Tsunade questioned, earning a slight nod from both Hyuuga and canine. "She's from here originally, and her brother's still here. It might convince her she's welcome to stay." the copy nin agreed, looking at the older blonde. "She was always one to wait and listen rather than acting without information."

"If you can track her down, ask her to go." the blonde concluded, closing her eyes to think. "If what Kakashi has told me is true, she'd be a valuable asset to the village." Nodding, Neji turned to leave. "Just don't try to force her into anything; she's dangerous enough without being backed into a corner." Kakashi stated, gaze shifting to look over the village. "If she could pin a trained ANBU officer at age five, I'd hate to see what she can do now."

"_Sounds like someone's looking for us."_

'I don't see why. We haven't done anything.' Settled on the branches of a large tree, a pair of dark amber eyes opening sleepily. Sure enough, somewhere nearby a male was calling out her name, not that she recognised the voice. 'Can you tell who it is?'

"_That boy's dog, but it's not the boy with him. Possibly a friend of his."_

She didn't make a move, waiting and listening as the duo got closer. 'What do you think; see what he wants or take them for a run?'

"_We'll see what they want; it's too warm to run around anywhere much."_

Letting out a gentle sigh, both jumped from their places in the tree, turning to watch for the other two. It only took a moment for them to drop before the females, Hyuuga and Inuzuka somewhat relieved to see they weren't running off. Yuri remained quiet, and knowing that the girl was happy to stay, Kuroi did likewise. The Hyuuga, it seemed, felt awkward trying to explain the situation at all; he hadn't met the girl before and what he needed to say sounded more than a little bizzare.

Yuri meanwhile was taking in the lilac eyed boy's appearance, gaze lingering more on his eyes than anything else. Inwardly she was somewhat annoyed she'd be woken for seemingly nothing; Kuroi portraying the fact as she let out a low growl.

"_Your friend seems to be feeling a little awkward about this situation. Why don't you explain it to me and I'll relay it to Yuri." _The dark wolf stated, her gaze scrutinising the pale male.

"_It might be better if Neji asks her himself." _Akamaru responded, walking behind the aforementioned male and nudging him forwards. Rolling her eyes, the female canine agreed, although she happily relayed the male's name to the brunette beside her.

Letting out a sigh, the Hyuuga decided leaving it longer wasn't going to help. "I'm a friend of Kiba's; his team mate and another ninja from the village are having a party to celebrate the start of their relationship." Neji stated, attempting to think of the best way to put things.

"Would I be right in guessing his team mate is a girl, and that he's had a crush on her for a while?" she asked, earning a small nod from the male. Yuri couldn't help but let out a sigh, her mind already filling in the reason he was there. "Let me guess, he's taking it hard and you think I might be able to take his mind off things."

'I don't like where this is going.' Neji thought, managing a slight nod. The girl's tone was enough to tell him she wasn't happy at the start of the idea, there was no reason she'd agree to it if he didn't tell her there was more to it than that. "There's that, yes. There's also that, since the party tonight will have everyone around our age, it might be a good opportunity for you to meet others from this village. If you wanted to stay, it'd be good for you to know a few people."

"_Stay?"_

'It might be nice to stay here...' She stood frozen for a moment as she thought about it; staying in a home she didn't really know or remember, getting to know people she didn't remember or know if she'd ever met.

"_Some consistency would be nice from day to day. Knowing more than three people and not having to move around every few months. It'd be nice to have a more permanent home..."_

Seeing that the girl was clearly struggling with the decision, he let out a small sigh. "Have a think about it; the party isn't until six tonight. Just meet me back here around then if you want to come." Turning to leave, he found Akamaru somewhat hesitant to do so, glancing between the two females. _"It'd be good if she came; Kiba would like her to I'm sure." _Akamaru barked, eyes intently focused on the wolf. _"I think she'd like to come too. I'm just not sure if we should."_

Taking off after the Hyuuga, the girls were left trying to figure out just what they were going to do. 'It's only an hour before he wants us to meet him back here if we're going. If we're going to go then I might need to buy something tidier to wear.'

"_I think we should. There's got to be more to it than what he's said; maybe the boy's looking for a new girl to go after and you fit the bill. Besides, it might be fun to go regardless."_

'Fine.' Letting out a gentle sigh, Yuri headed off towards the town, intent on finding something tidier to wear to the party. _"Maybe you should wear a nice little dress; that'd get all of the boys looking."_

_

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_**Tai: **Read and review, I might write faster


	6. Chapter 6

**Tai**: The small number of people that I know are definitely reading this, I'd love for you to review, even if it's only to let me know there's a point in continuing this. I can survive not updating this ever again, so some knowledge that someone's reading and wants me to continue would be good. Either way, a review would be lovely.

Disclaimer: You know it then I don't own it.

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The room was already alive with noise when Kiba arrived with the rest of the boys; holding back a growl as Naruto appeared at Hinata's side, wrapping an arm around her waist. The Hyuuga heiress was more than happy to see her two teammates, hugging both to thank them for coming. The blonde at her side seemed oblivious to the annoyed looks the Inuzuka was giving him. "I'm glad you both came; it means a lot to me." The lilac-eyed girl stated, smiling happily.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Kiba stated gruffly, earning a few concerned looks from Shikamaru and Choji. As the tanned male pushed his way inside, he was unaware of the concerned gaze of the Hyuuga. "He's just got a couple of things on his mind." Shino stated quietly, excusing himself to follow his teammate. Accepting it as a plausible excuse, Hinata turned to greet the others, Naruto quickly striking up a conversation with Choji.

It wasn't until ten minutes later, when the happy couple had welcomed all their guests that the Hyuuga heiress realised someone was missing. Glancing around with a frown, her gaze caught her boyfriends. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly, wrapping an arm comfortingly around her. "Neji's not here; he said he'd be here." She mumbled quietly, saddening a little at the thought he was absent.

Noise in the room between the male occupants of the room seemed to quell suddenly to a gentle whisper, most heads turning towards the door. As the crowd seemed to part slowly, the happy couple realised what everyone was staring at. Following behind the Hyuuga prodigy was a timid brunette, clearly more than a little uncomfortable with all the stares she was receiving. Even with the enormous canine by her side, Yuri was more uncomfortable than ever being in a dress.

Hugging the older Hyuuga, Hinata took a moment to glance at the girl before whispering to her cousin. "Who is she? I haven't seen her around the village before." "She's a friend; I didn't think you'd mind if I brought her so she could get to know a few more people around the village." He mumbled back, releasing the girl. Without another thought, Hinata gave the girl a hug also, conversation in the room soon returning to the normal buzz.

"Hinata, Naruto this is Yuri; she's Genma's sister." Neji stated, glancing over his shoulder to the girl. Her hand was running through the wolf's fur for reassurance on the situation. "Well it's nice to meet you. We're just celebrating that Naruto and I have started dating." She smiled, the brunette's mind joining the dots automatically. "I see. If you don't mind I'm going to go grab something to drink…" Slipping away from the duo, she headed to the bar and grabbed a drink, letting out a sigh as she sat down.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Or maybe you shouldn't have worn a dress; there's more guys looking at you than ever."

'Or maybe it was just a bad idea to come altogether.'

"You came?" the sudden question startled the girl from her mood, looking at the boy to her right. "I didn't think you would. Akamaru told me otherwise." "Kuroi talked me into it." She mumbled, her eyes briefly meeting his. "I'm glad you did." His voice was a lot softer than it had been, and as she felt the wolf's tail brush her leg, she couldn't help but feel isolated.

"We'll leave you two alone to have some private time, or at least have some time to ourselves."

It seemed Kiba was watching his own companion leave, turning to look back at the girl as they disappeared from sight. It didn't take long before Yuri too looked back, well aware of the Inuzuka's golden-eyed gaze fixed on her. "You look…beautiful…" he mumbled, smiling as the girl blushed and turned her gaze back to her drink. "Thanks." Glancing briefly back at him, it seemed he wanted to say something more, only to be interrupted before anything could be said.

"So you're Genma's sister?" Naruto asked, dropping into the seat on her left. "How come we've never met you before now?" The glare the blonde received from the Inuzuka on her opposite side was unmistakeable; though his gaze soon shifted to follow the Hyuuga flitting about the room. "I've been busy elsewhere." She stated dismissively, turning to look around the room some more.

Getting the hint that she wasn't interested in striking up a conversation, the Uzumaki took his leave, moving instead to talk to some of the others from their academy days. 'This is going to be a long night…'

As the night progressed, younger members of the crowd soon disappeared, and most of the drinks changed from soda and water to beer, wine and other such drinks. The music slowly became louder, as too did the conversations around the room. After talking to the Inuzuka for several hours, Kiba had downed a few alcoholic drinks and long since disappeared into the crowded room. Still uncomfortable in her surroundings, Yuri was more than ready to leave, though she didn't get the chance.

Leaning close to the brunette on the bar, the same blonde from earlier seemed more than a little drunk, smiling at the girl. "You know, I'm really glad you came." Naruto slurred, placing his empty glass on the surface before him. "It's nice to have someone so sexy to look at."

A growl from behind her made the brunette jump; a clawed hand placing itself firmly on the girls forearm. "Go home, Naruto." The Inuzuka snarled; eyes narrowed on the boy. "You've had more than enough to drink." It seemed the tanned male wasn't the only one to think so, as Hinata and Sakura sidled up to the male to pull him away. Even as the blonde disappeared from sight, Kiba's hand didn't move from the girl's arm; causing Yuri to look up at the male.

Without realising it, the Inuzuka had almost wrapped himself around her entirely and seemed intent on staying there for the moment. "Kiba; you can let me go now." She stated slowly, watching as the male's golden eyes flicked between her and the door. Moments later he returned to his seat, gaze fixed on his glass.

Finishing her drink, Yuri headed for the door, well aware that more than one person was watching her. 'Kuroi.' She mentally called, heading out into the cold night air. Wearing a dress, she decided, was a dumb idea. She couldn't get home as quickly as she'd like anymore.

"_You finished at the party already, or are you just bored of being there?"_ the canine asked, her mental voice seeming somewhat annoyed.

'I'm done trying to make nice. Other than Kiba talking to me I've had seven guys hit on me, and all of them were disgusting. Most of them were practically drooling before they said a word. I don't see why-' her thoughts to the wolf were interrupted as someone called her name, the thudding of footsteps reaching her ears. Turning, she found the aforementioned Inuzuka following her slowly down the road.

Catching up with the brunette, he let out a small sigh. "I was just…did you want some company on your walk…home…" he mumbled, earning a curious glance from the girl. "To tell you the truth, I'm not actually staying anywhere…really…" Looking away from him, she felt the Inuzuka move closer, hand moving slightly as if unsure what he should do.

"You could stay…with…me…" he mumbled, hand finally moving to cup her cheek. Lifting her chin gently, Kiba found himself staring, Yuri blushing lightly under his gaze.

"_Yuri?' _

'Hm?'

"_You went quiet; is everything okay?"_

About to mentally answer the canine, Yuri found herself in the Inuzuka's arms, pulled into a tender kiss she couldn't help but submit to. "I meant what I said earlier; you look beautiful." Kiba mumbled, holding the amber-eyed girl close. Her blush seemed to darken as she leant her head softly on his chest, letting out a sigh of contentment.

"_Yuri?"_

'I'm fine, Kuroi. Though I think I want to stay.'

Not far down the road, a somewhat triumphant look appeared on the faces of a group of males, their gazes fixed on the two. "A little bit of alcohol and some encouragement was all it took in the end I think." Choji stated, making the rest of the group laugh. "Lets just hope it lasts, and we're right about his mother approving." Neji's worried gaze continued to follow them to the Inuzuka compound, where the Hyuuga finally deactivated his bloodline trait to leave the duo alone. They'd done all they could; the rest was out of their hands.

Reaching his small flat within the Inuzuka compound, Kiba led the young woman inside, closing the door softly behind her. She could feel his eyes watching her closely as she moved a small way down the hallway. Getting a little unnerved by his gaze she turned to look back at him only to have her hands pinned above her against the wall. "Kiba?" He leant close, lips hovering close next to her ear. "Hmm?" He purred back, moving to have one of his hands ensnaring both of her wrists.

Using his now free hand, he slid it down her neck slowly. "What are you doing?" Yuri asked shakily, his hands slipping one of her dress straps off her shoulder. "Enjoying being with you." He mumbled back, placing soft kisses down her neck to her shoulder. Nothing in the brunettes mind told her to fight it; in fact every part of her was saying to let him have his way. Relaxing slightly, she felt his hand loosen its grip before releasing her completely. Now free to use both hands, Kiba ran both down her slender body, his eyes following their movement.

Pressing her into a rough kiss, his clawed hands slid around to her back and grabbed at the zip. He let out a low growl into her mouth as she tried to pull away, nipping at her lower lip to gain access. She obliged; her mind taken off the hand undoing her dress; her own hands slipping up underneath his shirt and across his chest.

A free hand sliding up her back to her head, he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth and across hers, exploring every part of her mouth as thoroughly as he possibly could. Impatient tugs on his shirt made the Inuzuka pull away briefly, removing the offending article of clothing before smirking lightly, her dress finally undone.

Sliding the material off her lithe form, Kiba licked his lips somewhat hungrily as he looked over her almost bare form. Running his hands down her sides, he let out a content sigh, kissing her softly once more. "Think we should move to my room?" he mumbled, wrapping one arm tightly around her waist and sliding the other under her knees, picking the girl up easily. Yuri wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him softly as they moved to his room.

Soon she felt the softness of his bed against her back, her lips still locked against Kiba's while his hands almost instantly slid up her body to her breasts. Squeezing them softly, he enjoyed the soft moan it elicited from her and took advantage of her open mouth, tongue returning to its exploration of the wet cavern. After several moments he found himself running out of breath and pulled away, looking over her gently.

Her amber eyes locked onto a golden pair, the Inuzuka leaning down to kiss her neck. Turning her head away from him, she let out a small sigh. "Kiba…I…" "Shhh." He mumbled, leaning in to capture her lips once more. After a moment he pulled away, stroking her cheek gently. "I just want to hold you tonight."

Lying down next to her, he wrapped an arm tightly around her waist and pulled her in close. Wrapping a blanket over them, Kiba let out a content sigh. "Goodnight Yuri." "Goodnight…Kiba."


	7. Chapter 7

Tai: Happy birthday to me! Hehe, well I'm a happy girl; it's my birthday today in NZ (14th March for your future reference). I wrote this chapter a while ago; dug it up from on my external drive this morning. Think of it as a birthday present from me to everyone who might still be reading.

I editied it a little bit this morning and read it briefly, but you still must know that I don't fully remember what happened in it. Ah well, any major errors are a whips on my part, but you should let me away with it cos it's my birthday :P

Discliamer: Still don't own anything, despite the fact it is my birthday

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Kiba awoke to find something warm pressed gently against him, the soft sounds of another's breathing reaching his highly sensitive ears. Glancing down briefly, his eyes widened at the sight of a young woman curled tightly against him. The majority of her clothing appeared to be gone, much like the Inuzuka's, although her hair seemed to provide more than adequate cover for her lightly tanned skin. Still able to feel both his pants and boxers beneath the blankets, he let out a small sigh. 'How much did I have to drink last night? I'm not complaining about having her here, but it'd be nice to be able to remember just what we'd talked about, if anything at all.' He reasoned quietly.

Managing to silently slip away from the young woman, the brunette headed towards the shower, intent on tidying himself up and having some time to think. Someone else, it seemed, had other ideas on the situation as a loud knock on the door echoed through the small building. Checking on the sleeping girl as he passed, Kiba found her awake, amber eyes darting around quickly in confusion before settling on the Inuzuka. Yuri appeared to visibly relax as she lay back down, cuddling into the blankets.

'I think I'd be an idiot to complain about having brought her home.' Kiba thought with a wolfish smirk, heading toward the front door. Another knock sounded, almost frantic, something that confused the canine like male. As he approached the door, the gentle sobs of a young woman were clearly audible to the dog-nin, something that did nothing to help the male's mind put some sense into the situation.

Pulling the door open, he had only a brief moment to register who was there before they clung to him suddenly, the sobs becoming louder and more depressing. "Hinata? What's wrong?" The girl seemed completely unable to talk as she attempted in vain to talk through the sobbing, only serving to stutter a couple of times before breaking down completely once again. Simultaneously confused and annoyed, Kiba let out a small growl. "Hinata, I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong."

"Naruto…" she whimpered, head resting gently against the Inuzuka's muscular chest, "he…he…Sakura…she…" Breaking down once more, she hugged the half naked male tightly, "I don't know what to do Kiba! I love him and she slept with him!" the Hyuuga heiress whined, burying her face into the tanned skin of the male's chest. Sighing, Kiba saw no other way to comfort the young woman as he hugged her gently, mind still racing.

"Why didn't you go to Neji and talk to him about it?" the dog-nin asked, confusion still reigning supreme in his mind. "Naruto…he said that…that…you…love me…" she mumbled silently, catching the Inuzuka by surprise. Looking down at the dark haired girl, he had no clue as to how he should react to the statement. His golden orbs swimming with confused thoughts, he found himself looking into the pearly white depths of the Hyuuga heiress' eyes.

Without another word she leant up and kissed him, arms snaking quickly around his neck to pull him down closer. His arms already locked around her in nothing more than a friendly hug, he realised too late just what was happening in the small entranceway of his apartment. After a moment of realisation, the Inuzuka pulled away quickly, stepping back from the Hyuuga. The confusion he found in her eyes seemed to mock the defiance in his as the Inuzuka stepped back, shaking his head.

"Hinata, I'm sorry, but you need to go." He stated softly, watching the Hyuuga. Her confusion seemed to double at the statement, as his mind finally clicked on to what it needed to say. After all the time he'd spent wanting her, the Inuzuka realised he didn't anymore. Stepping back further towards the bedroom, he let out a small sigh. "I do love you, Hinata, but only as a friend. Nothing more." Stunned silence ensued for several moments before the pale skinned girl ran out, tears once more streaming from her eyes.

Running a hand swiftly through his hair, he let out a small sigh and returned to his room, gaze landing on the bed. The brunette who'd seemed so content to curl up and sleep some more was nowhere to be seen, despite her dress still being in the hallway. Dropping to the ground, he let out a growl of frustration; he'd finally gotten over Hinata and found a new love, only to have things turned on their head.

A wave of panic shot through the Inuzuka heir as a cold breeze swept over him. Golden eyes darted around the room quickly, noting what had changed since he'd answered the door. A shirt and pair of pants that had earlier been lying on the floor were now gone, along with a window having been opened since he'd left the room. "Yuri…" he mumbled softly, eyes swimming with a mixture of confusion and hurt. It didn't take him long to figure out why she'd left, nor did it take much for the Inuzuka's mind to fill with rage.

Slamming his fist against the ground, he let out an animalistic growl, attention turning to the door. Naruto had taken one potential mate away from him, and now he was attempting to take the other. Clad in nothing but his pants (and boxers of course), Kiba stalked out the door and looked around quickly for any sight of the young woman. Unable to pick up neither sight nor scent of her, he let out a growl and headed for Shikamaru's. Come hell or high water, the Inuzuka decided, he was going to track the girl down and make her his.

And Naruto was not stopping him this time.

Letting out a content sigh as she cuddled into the warmth in front of her, Yuri released she'd never felt this relaxed or at ease before in her life. She felt a brief amount of movement as the source moved away, probably, the girl reasoned, to the bathroom to tidy up. A sudden pounding sound startled the young brunette into being fully awake, sitting bolt upright as she looked quickly around the room. Her eyes landed on the tanned male before her and she sighed, curling up into the bed once more.

'That's right, Kiba offered to let me stay with him for a while.' She thought drowsily, making a mental note of how well built a chest he seemed to have. She heard his steps walk slowly into the hallway, followed by another frantic knock on what Yuri could only assume to be the door. After several moments the gentle mumble of conversation hit her ears, and the girl's curiosity won over, the young brunette locating a discarded shirt on the floor to pull on before she ventured out into the hall.

Her blood stopped cold at the sight. The dark haired, pale skinned girl from last night was curled against Kiba rather tightly, and it appeared he was, for the moment at least, holding her close in a hug. She frowned slightly as she realised they were staring intently into one another's eyes before the girl kissed him, wrapping her arms around the Inuzuka tightly. He didn't move or react as the girl, Hinata, kissed him; his arms still around her. Confused and hurt, Yuri returned to the bedroom and located a pair of the male's pants, pulling them on quickly as tears started to drop from her eyes.

'_Don't get attached to people, Yuri. They'll only hurt you...'_ her sensei's words seemed to be mocking her now, more so than they ever had before. Without another thought she opened the window and darted out, tears already streaming from her eyes as she took off at full speed. Wiping the droplets away, she could think of only one thing she wanted to do.

'Kuroi, we're leaving.' She stated mentally, keeping her inner voice as firm as possible.

"Yuri? What's wrong? Last night it seemed like you'd be more than happy to stay, you even said so yourself."

'Men are bastards. Nothing more; nothing less. Get rid of that mutt, we're leaving.' She mentally snarled, and she could hear the hesitation in the wolf's answer.

"Yuri…I…I don't want to leave. I'm happy here, it's nice. Why don't you give it another chance instead of going back to sensei?"

'All men are bastards.' Yuri snarled back, the tears finally stopping. 'I'd just prefer to be with a bastard I know rather than the bastard I don't.'

She refused to hear anymore from the wolf as she darted into the forest to gather her things and change. Kiba had done nothing more than use her to get the girl he truly wanted, and that had hurt more than any lie her sensei had ever told. Welcome in the village or not, she didn't want to stay, even if it had started to feel like home in the short while she'd been there.

"Kiba calm down; what happened?" Neji tried to reason with the half naked Inuzuka as Lee and Choji attempted to hold him back. "Naruto slept with Sakura." Kiba snarled, ripping his arms free of the males' grip. "Hinata caught him, he told her I love her. Hinata kissed me, I told her to leave and Yuri took off while all of that was happening. I don't know why she took off but I need to find her." He growled, glaring at the Hyuuga. "Are you going to help me or was it a waste of my time coming here?"

His speech was more snarling and growling than a proper conversing talk, making it clear to the others in the room the Inuzuka heir wasn't at all happy. "Naruto took my first possible mate away from me and now he's trying to take Yuri as well. I am not losing her!" he snarled, making his four companions jump. Stalking towards the door, he didn't bother to wait for the others to move as he took off, Neji following moments after with his Byakugan active.

Shino meanwhile had sent out his bugs, having them search everywhere and anywhere for the girl. With nothing they could do to help further, Choji, Lee and Shikamaru dropped to the ground with a sigh. "I'll kill that blonde bastard if Kiba loses her. Friend or not, he's hurt Kiba too much to get away with this." Choji stated, earning stiff nods from both of the other two. Shikamaru stood suddenly, heading towards the door.

"If she's become as fast as Kakashi thinks she may have, even Neji and Kiba may be unable to catch her." The Nara explained, waiting briefly at the door. "We're going to need someone faster than them, and there's only one group I can think of that are definitely faster." Taking off towards the Hokage tower, he glanced around briefly for any sign of the ANBU squad, even the girl herself. Seeing nothing on his way to the tower he sighed, not bothering to knock as he entered.

"Shikamaru?" "Lady Tsunade, I need you to send out the ANBU squad to track down that girl Yuri." He stated firmly, receiving confused looks from both women present in the room. "Did something happen?" "Kiba's fallen for her and Naruto's causing problems. Yuri's taken off and we don't think Kiba or Neji will be able to catch her. If she's reached the potential Kakashi thinks she has…" Nara trailed off, earning a swift nod from the older woman.

"If she's reached that potential, even the ANBU squad may not catch her. Shizune send word, now!"

She didn't have to look to know someone was following her. Having slowed briefly to wait for Kuroi, she'd found someone else quite intent upon tailing her. It got past the point of amusing her and the girl stopped, turning to wait for the tracker. "Yuri, why are you trying to leave so suddenly? You seemed quite happy with Kiba last night." The snowy haired male stated, earning a growl of annoyance from the girl. "Don't even mention that bastard around me." The ice in her voice made the copy nin frown as he moved to the branch she was on, standing close to her.

"What happened, Yuri? Surely it's not so bad that going back to the bastard who took you is your best option." He asked quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. She didn't shrug it off, though as Kakashi watched her face closely he could tell she was hurt. "Hinata kissed him and he didn't do anything." She mumbled, her head dropping sharply. "He didn't pull away or anything…" Tears began to fall freely and she didn't resist as her old sensei pulled her into a gentle hug, hand against the back of her head as he kept her close. "Men are bastards…all of them…" she mumbled, earning a small sigh from the older man.

Kiba had, unbeknownst to the young woman, caught up with them and heard the quiet conversation, unsure what he wanted to do first. He wanted Kakashi to release her so he could have her back; his instincts reasoning that the older nin shouldn't even be touching her. He let out a growl as the copy nin started running his hand soothingly through her long brown hair, though the noise seemed enough to startle the woman and alert her to his presence.

Deciding there was no more reason for him to remain hidden in the trees above them, he jumped down and landed close to her. It seemed to work against him as Yuri moved back, Kakashi more than happy to occupy space between them. The Inuzuka let out a feral growl as he tried to warn the other male away, only serving to startle the woman further. "Kiba, calm down." Kakashi stated, his voice as mellow as it had ever been as he watched the younger nin. "You've already hurt her once, your growling isn't helping the situation any."

The aforementioned woman was holding herself close behind the ex-ANBU nin, leaning against him slightly for the tiniest bit of comfort in the situation. The white haired nin glanced back briefly, gaze softening as he looked at her. "She's been hurt enough for one day, Kiba, I know you heard what she said so either stop growling and explain yourself or leave. It's that simple."

The Inuzuka's glare didn't lessen in intensity any, though his growling ceased after several more moments. "Hinata came around; she'd caught Naruto sleeping with Sakura and he blurted out that I loved her. She kissed me; I was more than a little stunned at that," he explained softly, gaze finally dropping to the branch. "It took me longer than it should have to realise what she wanted and pull away. I…I don't want her, Yuri. I want you."

The Inuzuka dropped to sit on the branch, unable to even look up at the young woman. He felt guilty about what had happened, even if he had no control over it.

Kakashi turned to look at the young woman, tilting her chin so she was forced to look at him. Confusion and anger were all that remained in her eyes; the pain and sadness that had made them sparkle was gone. "How do I know you're not lying now?" she asked, her voice ice cold as she spoke. "Men have lied to me my entire life; why the hell should I trust them now." It wasn't a question; that much was clear, and as Kuroi and Akamaru arrived in the clearing, she glared down at the wolf.

"Yuri, they haven't lied to you! They've been trying to help you, Kiba's telling the truth; Akamaru's said he feels horrible that you think he betrayed you and doesn't want to lose you! Please, you need to give him a chance." Kuroi mentally pleaded with the girl, the large white canine at her side staying close.

"I've given people enough chances through my life." She stated coldly, something that made all present stare, and startled the black wolf greatly. Since forming their bond neither Yuri nor Kuroi had spoken aloud to one another, it seemed a waste of time to both. It was, after all, faster to think something than it was to say it.

"Yuri…" the wolf stated quietly, whatever she planned to say was interrupted as the girl was quickly surrounded by the Konoha ANBU squad. She didn't move or even flinch at their presence, something that seemed to worry both the black wolf and copy ninja. "Tsunade asked us to capture her and ensure she doesn't leave the village." One of the squad members stated, turning to the white haired male. "She didn't explain why."

"One would think the death of some of her ANBU members would suffice as reason enough." The ice in the girls voice made Kakashi and Kiba both jump, though the black-ops members didn't even flinch at the statement. "Yuri, don't do it!" Kuroi pleaded from the ground, as it took Kiba and Kakashi only a moment more understand what the wolf was saying. "This is your home; we could be happy and safe here! We could have a more normal life!"

"And what, live happily ever after with a lying bastard who wants more than one woman in his bed?" she stated, turning her gaze onto the ninja that had spoken. They remained in a tight formation around her; unmoving at her threat. "Yuri please, I'm happy here; we're safe and Kiba loves you. What more do you need?" the wolf pleaded, looking up at the Inuzuka.

"I need to be able to trust those around me." She stated firmly, though her voice seemed to go quiet. "How can I trust an entire village when the first person I try to trust from here betrays me?" her voice was barely above a whimper and Kiba felt a wave of guilt go through him.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled softly, looking up at the girl. "I'm sorry I didn't react to her kissing me sooner. Then maybe…" he let out a sigh, glancing down to his faithful canine, and the dog's new dark furred lover.

"…maybe we could've been as happy as Kuroi and Akamaru are." He finished softly, looking up into the amber eyes of the annoyed woman. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Yuri. I'm sorry that you want to leave the village…" Kakashi could sense what the Inuzuka was about to say and decided to move from between the two, allowing Kiba to look Yuri in the eye more directly, despite the height difference.

"But most of all I'm sorry that, once you leave I won't be able to help but follow you. I don't want anyone else, and I don't care if following you kills me. Yuri, I'm not going to give up and risk losing you to someone else. I won't and nothing you say will change my mind." His voice was void of emotion but still extremely firm, something that seemed to startle the young woman, if only slightly. "I don't care what I have to do, Yuri. I'm not going to lose you to anyone. I love you."

Kuroi jumped up onto the branch next to the young woman, startling some of the surrounding ANBU squad as she did so. "I know you Yuri; you don't want to run anymore, you don't want to fight or kill or hurt people anymore." She brushed against the young woman, leaning her head against her thigh. "You want to stay, we both know that." Kuroi looked at Kiba, silently asking him to stand and come over to them. He obliged, stopping less than half a metre away from the girl.

"Yuri, please…I'll do anything, just don't leave me." He mumbled, looking down at the brunette. She didn't look at him, though the dark wolf next to her and the white canine on the ground could both see the confusion in her amber eyes. Taking a step forward Kiba heard a growl emanate from the girl, who took off a moment later.

Kiba moved to go after her, only for the large wolf to stop him. "She needs to make this decision on her own."

"So all I can do is wait?" he received a small nod from the wolf, making him sigh. "Fine, I'll wait. No matter how long it takes."

ANBU had no such luxury of letting the girl get away, following instantly, although they were kind enough to give the girl some space. Following her to a highly secluded area, they realised only once they spotted the rock exactly where they were – the very same area she'd been taken from so long ago.

Settling to sit on the ground, Yuri began to silently meditate; blocking out everything in her surroundings as she concentrated inwards to find what she truly wanted. It didn't matter in the end what everyone else wanted, it was her life and she could make her own decisions; even if it was the first time she'd get the chance to.

"Tsunade ordered us to capture her so she doesn't leave the village; do we wait until she's running again or do we grab her now and restrain her somewhere she can't escape?" One of the officers questioned, glancing over at their leader.

"Tsunade believes that if she tries to escape the village and outrun us, we'll be unable to catch her."

"I wouldn't be surprised on that; if she's close to the potential she had all those years ago, no one in this village will catch her. Not even me." Kakashi stated, watching the girl. The white haired male hesitated before continuing. "It pains me to say this but, sedate her and have her locked in one of the secure holding cells. She can finish thinking there."

It only took a moment for the squad to act on Kakashi's suggestion, firing a dart into the girls neck and the captain throwing her over one shoulder. "Depsite what she may decide we have orders to keep her here; we will follow them to the death if that's what's required."

* * *

Tai: Well, review pleasums!


	8. Chapter 8

Tai: Well it's done; you might not like it and it is a bit rushed, but it's done. Yay!

Disclaimer: Don't own it if you know it.

* * *

Yuri awoke in a small dark room; no natural light filtering in nor any artificial light providing any sort of illumination. The floor felt stone and the walls seemed completely bare, save for a door on the far wall. Something cold was fastened tightly around her neck and wrists, the girl moving her hands to discover what it was. 'Chains. Brilliant; I'm being chained up like some sort of animal.'

"_You know I resent those sorts of comments Yuri. Besides, they wouldn't have chained you up if they were certain you would stay." _The wolf's calm voice echoed into the girl's head, the brunette sighing at the voice.

'So glad you're not too busy mating with that overly horny dog to talk to me Kuroi.' She shot back, almost able to feel the wolf wince through their connection.

"_You know Kiba and Akamaru want us to stay; Kiba even said he'd follow you if you tried to leave now. It might be nice to stay; what other option do we have really?"_ the canine questioned, the girl settling herself somewhere somewhat more comfortable.

'Sensei was expecting us to meet up with him tomorrow night regardless of our decision; with everything he went through to get me in the first place Kuroi, do you really think he'll leave us in peace to finish our lives here?' Back to her meditating, she let out a sigh. 'It's more likely that those of us planning to go home would've been killed and those of us staying with him would be allowed to live. Hell, he probably monitored how we each got into our respective villages.'

"_So what, you believe that he'll track us down and kill us within the village because we're planning to stay?"_

'And if he fails to find us he'll do whatever he can to draw us out and kill us. Staying here puts Kiba and everyone who cares about him in danger; leaving now means that he'll still be in danger. He may have hurt me but he doesn't deserve to die because of that bastard.' The girl replied, earning a sigh from the wolf.

"_So we have only one option then?"_

'Indeed.'

* * *

"I'll kill Naruto if she ends up leaving!" the Inuzuka snarled, making the other males sigh for the umpteenth time. Although he'd managed to find the girl and speak with her, ANBU had since taken the girl to one of their holding cells to prevent her from escaping. The brunette had since returned to the small house all of the males had been hanging out in, the two canines following him.

"Kiba you need to calm down; if she decides to leave she'll probably have a good reason for it." Neji sighed, rubbing his temples. The black wolf had taken to sitting by the Hyuuga, clearly fond of the pale eyed male.

"He's right. Although I'd like prefer to stay, I do believe I'll require one of you to convince ANBU to release her. We have something urgent that must be done." The dark furred canine stated, standing. Her gaze turned to the Hyuuga, clearly deciding he was the most logical choice. "I believe they may listen to you more than any of the others; we must go now before we waste any more time."

The wolf stood to leave, Kiba moving into her path. "Whatever the two of you need to do you can do with me there." The Inuzuka snarled, glaring at the wolf. "I won't risk losing her!"

"I'm afraid you have no choice; you are physically incapable of keeping up with Yuri and she will not permit you to come with us. For your own safety stay here and wait for us to come back." The canine snarled back, following Neji as he headed out the door toward the Hokage tower.

"I'm guessing you won't tell me what it is the two of you need to do?" the Hyuuga questioned the wolf who was trotting easily along beside him as they moved through the village.

"You can ask Yuri that; if she wishes to let anyone know she will. However it's unlikely she will answer; as capable as you and your friends are, you will merely be in the way if you attempt to follow." The wolf replied, glad when they finally entered the tower.

"_The Hyuuga boy is trying to convince the Hokage to release us; I've managed to convince him that we'll most definitely be coming back."_

'That doesn't mean much unless we can get out of here within the next couple of hours. Even with my speed I'll be pushing it to make it to the rendezvous point in time. And if that happens…'

"_If we're late he'll start coming this way, and that could end badly for the entire village. Especially if the others have decided to go back to him."_

The brunette looked up as the door swung open, the bright hallway lights blinding to her after being kept in the dark for so long. 'Neji hasn't sorted out getting me out of here yet has he?'

"_Not yet, why?"_

'I have company…'

"Yuri, I need to speak with you before whatever you've got Neji trying to do goes ahead; I know how to get you out of here but I need your word that you'll answer my questions before taking off."

The voice was familiar, the girl taking a few moments before she finally managed to place it. "I'm fine with talking, although if I refuse to answer a question I expect you to respect that." She replied, frowning in the darkness at the pale haired male. "Though if you'd prefer you can question me here and then let me go."

"It may be easier…" the copy nin muttered, sitting down across from the girl. Her night vision was slowly coming back after the blast of light, allowing her to see the male more clearly. "What happened that night, after I set you down against the tree?"

Averting her gaze, Yuri wrapped her arms around her legs the best she could as she brought them up against her chest, the chains restricting her movements somewhat. "You set me down against the tree…my head was hurting and things were more than a little fuzzy. The others were being protected much like you were protecting me, but there was one more that wasn't already fighting one of the ANBU...

"He had the people he was with draw the attention of the ANBU away and snuck up to slit the throats of the others…he spotted me and smirked; I guess he took me because I was already injured. The others caused a distraction and he pulled me away and took off, the others came with us for a while. Halfway to the border he put me down on a tree branch, turned around and killed the others, then knocked me out completely."

Kakashi was shocked by the news; they'd found smouldering piles of ash come morning and had been searching for a group; knowing now that they were only truly chasing a single person made it much clearer as to why they hadn't caught up with them.

She gave a small shrug, clearly having come to terms, for the most part, with what had happened, even if she had only remembered in the last few days. "When I woke up the next morning I couldn't remember anything; he told me what my name was and introduced me to two boys around my age."

"And he trained the three of you?" the copy nin asked, receiving a nod from the girl.

"It was strange; he knew we were better than him at a variety of things. I was faster, one of the boys was stronger and the third smarter; in the end he realised we were eclipsing him with our talent and had us train against one another; it ended up in a draw always because we were all better at one thing." She informed the male, who frowned further.

"Why did he let you come back then? He must know that you'd learn what he taught you of your past was a lie."

"I'm sure he did; he sent us all home to where he said we'd come from and gave us each a time and place to meet him. He said he'd come to the village and drag us out if we refused to meet him." The girl muttered, her grip on her knees tightening.

"You're worried that he'll show up and start killing villagers if you don't make it to that meeting on time?" The copy nin questioned, a stiff nod his only reply. "A reasonable theory; he did manage to evade us all those years ago, there's little reason he couldn't do so again."

Without another word the male leant forward to remove the chains, the girls head snapping upright. "You might want to wait before doing that; Kuroi and Neji are still talking to Tsunade; Kuroi thinks she may let me go soon."

The white haired male stopped and waited, watching the girl closely for several moments. Finally she let out a sigh, shaking her head. "She's refusing to let me go; won't you be reprimanded for helping me escape?"

"Probably." Kakashi shrugged, undoing the shackles around her neck and wrists. "Get going; if you head out while Neji and Kuroi are still talking to Tsunade you might get far enough away that it's not worth chasing you once they notice."

* * *

Darting through the trees at high speed, Yuri somewhat regretted leaving the wolf behind as she ran for the meeting spot. However, with ANBU likely to be following it was best to leave the wolf behind until she was close to their intended destination; she could summon the canine later. The border of the fire nation was just outside of her field of vision and she still hadn't heard anyone following her, leaving her in the clear.

Passing over the border moments later she stopped to catch her breath, panting heavily. 'Well, lets just hope I have a few hours to recuperate before meeting up with sensei. You ready, Kuroi?'

"_Ready and waiting; Kiba and the others still believe you to be locked up in one of the holding cells; Neji is the only one aware that you've left the village. ANBU left to start following you an hour ago; the Hokage finally noticed." _The wolf informed her.

Sighing, the girl gathered her chakra and summoned the canine, glad she'd had the foresight to grab some supplies at the same time. "Yuri."

The voice made her jump and spin around; coming face to face with one of the two males she'd grown up with. "I take it you got the same quiet reception when you got to your village that Rai and I got from ours?" the white haired male questioned, looking intently at the girl.

"I did; though I don't see why you came back if the reception was so warm, Tadao. Wouldn't you have preferred to stay with your family?" she replied, eyeing the male warily. He was much stronger than she was when it came to fighting, but she could normally dodge him.

"Same reason both of us came back; sensei. He said it was our choice if we wanted to stay or not, but we all know that's not true. He wanted us to find out he'd lied and realise he still holds power over us, regardless of what we want. He'd kill anyone we tried to stay with, so we had to leave for their safety." A black haired male stated, dropping down to complete their triangle. "That is, of course, assuming that's why you came back."

"It's not. I came back to kill him." She stated simply, earning smirks from the two males. "And since the two of you are here as well, I'm hoping you'll help."

"Of course; Rai's thought through it hundreds of times and there's no way just the two of us can beat him; we need your speed. Just as if he were missing we'd need his brains or you'd both need my strength if I were missing." The pale haired male stated.

"You really think we'd be able to do it though? After all, he has us under his control almost completely. He told us he'd drag us from the villages if we didn't come willingly, but in reality he couldn't." Yuri reasoned, settling onto the ground. "He picked a point that's at a crossroads between the three that we could all get to easily and set us all to meet him tomorrow night; why do that if he thought we'd resist his orders?"

"Because he trained us himself; he knows what we're capable of and what we're afraid of. He wouldn't have given us those instructions with the empty threat attached if he doubted his control over us. We didn't know we'd all been told the same time and place; not until now." Rai sighed, dropping to pet Kuroi. "He should've calculated we'd meet up as a group before seeing him, so what is it he really wants from this meeting?"

"Control? To remind us that we need one another more than we need him?" Tadao suggested, flopping back against the ground. "Maybe he wants us to kill him."

"What does that achieve? Nothing; we kill the man that stole us from our families and raised us like soldiers; we feel nothing and he proves nothing by doing it." The black haired male argued back, sighing. "No, it's something more than that."

"…were you guys followed when you left?" the brunette questioned, looking up at the reddening sky. "They didn't realise initially so I was long gone by the time they left, but the Konoha ANBU squad is still following after me. No doubt the Hokage wants the one responsible for so many deaths tried and imprisoned in Konoha."

The white haired male frowned at the girl, unsure of just what point that would make until Rai spoke up. "I had to time my escape strategically to avoid notice that I'd left for a few hours so I could get here, but none the less there are Kirigakure shinobi trying to track me, at the orders of the Mizukage of course. I wouldn't hesitate in betting the Kazekage sent someone after you also, Tadao."

"The point we're meeting him at is a perpetual no-mans land; none of the three villages holds any power over it. We're all being tracked and if nothings done all three villages will have shinobi reaching the village at approximately the same time." Tadao finally stated, the gears clicking together for him finally.

"You think he's planning to start a war between the three?" Yuri questioned, looking between the duo. "They'll all want retribution from this incident and won't be able to agree on who gets to carry it out. We're still his soldiers too…"

"So he'll have us kill them for our own escape and we'll be unable to return; he's set everything up to ensure he comes out with three soldiers who have no one else to turn to, nowhere else to go." Rai concluded, rubbing his eyes.

"Unless we kill him first."

* * *

"What do you mean she's gone? How? When? What the hell were you doing to stop her!" Kiba snarled at the blonde woman, making the Hokage sigh. The Inuzuka was the last one to find out about the girl's disappearance, and for good reason. His temper wasn't helping things at all. "Where is she?"

"We don't know; Kakashi helped her escape several hours ago; we only realised when one of the ANBU officers went to check on her and the room was empty. Apparently she has something to do for the safety of the village, but regardless she will be brought back, Kiba." The woman stated, earning a growl from the boy.

"There's nothing we can do Kiba; ANBU will be lucky to catch her before she crosses the border." Neji stated, sighing. He'd figured something was up when the wolf had gone quiet during their walk home, and when she'd vanished from in front of them a few hours later it was confirmed. "They'll come back when they can Kiba."

* * *

Daylight broke through the trees, shining on the unlikely group of siblings and the large black canine, curled into a pile to sleep. The trop awoke at the same time, moving apart with a practised ease that only came with time; they normally slept in such a group when together. They'd spent hours the night before discussing what to do, and had finally come up with a plan. There was no time to practise, but they shouldn't have needed it; they'd trained together more than enough times to know how one another moved.

They ate something small for breakfast before heading out, none of them in a rush to reach their destination. It wouldn't help them to be exhausted when fighting against their teacher.

They arrived at the remote location around noon; their sensei was already present and unsurprised to see them arriving as a group. "Well now, it's nice to see all three of you. I take it you've had some time to think about why we're here?"

"You want to start a war." Tadao accused, the male laughing at the notion.

"A war? Now why would I do such a thing? I care nothing for the villages; though wiping them out would be a good idea, and having them wipe one another out is a very effective method. No, it's much simpler than that." He smirked, his three toned hair waving slightly in the wind. "With all I've put you through in your short little lives, all the torment and pain, I want to know if you can kill me."

Yuri frowned at the notion. "Why would we hesitate? You killed our friends and told us our families wanted us dead; why would we hesitate in killing you?"

"Human attraction and emotion; I want to know if you're capable of being the heartless killing machines I trained the three of you to be, or if you're still clinging to that emotional notion that family and friends should be protected."

"He was like a father to us…" Rai finally clicked onto the male's thought process, his eyes widening. "He wants to see if we can kill the person who raised us as easily as we analysed and killed a stranger on the road."

The hollow laugh was all the confirmation they needed, the trio stunned for a moment. The dark haired boy let out a sigh and dropped his gear, weapons and all, as he jumped into a nearby tree. His emotionless mask fell into place as easily as it ever had, turning to his companions. "Well then, we have a job to do."

Allowing their own masks to slip into place, both Yuri and Tadao dropped their bags, retaining their weapons. The white haired male charged first, his attack slow and easy to dodge. However his was a simple feint; Yuri moving to strike at the male's blind spot instead. As her blow struck, she called out to the male in the tree and moved, informing him as to where the male was armoured.

* * *

It didn't take long for their Sensei to realise what they were doing and fight back, striking at the two moving as they came within reach or stopped moving for a moment. Drawing a kunai, he waited for the girl to strike again before grabbing her arm, sinking the knife deep into her side. The attack was met with a strike to his legs from the white haired male, his legs unguarded, and the girl was given a chance to fall back.

Moving to the tree next to their third teammate, she pushed the pain to the back of her mind, watching as the two wrestled on the ground. "Well?"

"Grab him from behind and stop him from using his arms; he has some heavy armour on his chest that Tadao should be able to break. Once he's done that release him and go back to what you're doing; I should be able to finish it easily with the armour gone." The male stated, his eyes not leaving their teacher.

"You think he has a metal plate in his head?"

"I'm almost certain of it."

Shaking her head to clear it, the girl jumped down and darted forward once more, shallow scratches already covering most of her body and a couple of deeper wounds on her arms. Tadao was faring no better; his legs covered in gashes and scratches littering his muscular form.

It took several attempts to get behind the male, even with her speed, but when she finally did she barely had the strength to restrain him long enough for her cohort to break the armour on his chest, the girl slammed back against a tree moments later. Free of the girl's grip, the male turned to Tadao, a wicked grin marking his features. Striking the male square in the chest, he winded the pale haired male, leaving him gasping for breath.

His gaze finally turned to the male in the tree who'd suddenly stood, their teacher finally understanding the plan. Standing, he charged at the male and knocked him to the ground, slashing wildly at the younger dark haired male. Rai was barely able to block the attacks from striking anything vital, taking most attacks against his arms and deflecting some away from vital organs.

All three of the male's former students were tiring and bloody, but none were willing to quit. Tadao stood with difficulty and withdrew a long needle from his tool kit, walking over to where the two were still tussling. With what strength he could muster he slammed it through the remaining armour and into his chest cavity, unsure if he'd hit anything vital.

_

* * *

Five years later…_

"Dad come on! You promised!" the voice of a young male called, his spiky brown hair and tanned skin reminiscent of another young male from years ago.

"You did promise him Kiba; besides, Rai and Tadao are probably already waiting at the gate for you to meet them, since you won't let me go." Yuri smirked, her amber eyes sparkling playfully as she looked at the Inuzuka. "Now hurry up or you'll be sleeping out with Akamaru."

Sighing, the feral looking male walked over to his new wife, wrapping an arm gently around her swollen belly as he embraced her from behind, kissing her gently. "Fine, but only because it's you." He mumbled, nuzzling her neck.

As father and son took off through the village with Kuroi and Akamaru, the woman sighed, mentally recounting everything that had happened.

_Flashback! (Yes I'm lazy but so what? It's my story.)_

_Their sensei lay dead on the ground, both Tadao and Rai collapsed in exhausted heaps beside the body as blood continued to drip from their wounds. "Yuri, we have company." The dark wolf called, trotting over to her partner. "Looks like the Konoha group are here first."_

_Sure enough a squad of ANBU appeared, looking over the scene with confusion. "Those two need help now; they'll probably die of blood loss if someone doesn't see them soon. They're from Kiri and Suna; friends of mine." She informed the captain, barely holding on to her own consciousness. "There's probably shinobi from each of their villages on their way here; they have very similar stories to mine."_

_End Flashback_

They'd managed to kill their sensei as a team, although they were lucky to escape the scene with their lives. From what she knew the ANBU squad had allowed Kirigakure's hunter ninja to destroy the body, leaving no trace of their sensei's existence on the earth. Each of the trio had returned to their respective villages and settled somewhat, though they still enjoyed using their unique talents to help when possible.

Kiba had refused to leave her side once she returned; vowing that no matter what happened from then on, he would be beside her. They were married, much to the delight of Neji, Shino and the Inuzuka clan, only a few months later. Since then they'd had a son, Riku, who was now three and as hyperactive as his father.

Kuroi and Akamaru had remained together, the white canine now forced to sleep outside to prevent anymore 'accidental' litters being born between the two. They'd already parented three litters, and neither she nor Kiba felt like trying to house more puppies just yet.

Naruto apologised to Hinata a few months after their wedding; claiming drunken stupidity was to blame for his night with Sakura. The two were still dating, the Hyuuga heiress still having trouble fully trusting the hyperactive blonde, though there was definitely some improvement there.

As for the rest of the village? It was fairly peaceful. Well, as peaceful as it could be with Kiba and his son running around like a pair of sugar-crazed maniacs. Smiling at the thought, Yuri placed a hand over the rather large bump in her normally slender form, sighing. "Might be sons at the rate you're growing."

_End~_


End file.
